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DEPARLHENT 
STORE 

MERCHANDISE 

.MANUAI.S 


m 


KENNARD 


Southern  Branch 
of  the 

University  of  California 

Los  Angeles 

Form  L-1 

w 


5501 


This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below 


o   C- 


DEPARTMENT    STORE 
MERCHANDISE  MANUALS 


THE  EDUCATIONAL 
DIRECTOR 


BY 

BEULAH  ELFRETH  KENNARD,  M.A. 

Editor  of  Series;  Director  of  Department  Store  Courses, 
New  York  University;  Chairman  of  Committee  on  Merchan- 
dise Courses  for  New  York  City  Public  Schools;  Former 
Educational  Director  of  the  Department  Store  Education 
Association. 


NEW  YORK 

THE  RONALD  PRESS  COMPANY 
1918 


Copyright,  1918,  by 
The  Ronald  Press  Company 


)0 


MF 


■^  \ZL^ 


to  Mrs.  Henry  Ollesheimer,  Miss 
Virginia  Potter,  Miss  Anne  Mor- 
gan, and  other  organizers  of  the 
Department  Store  Education  As- 
sociation, who  desiring  to  give 
greater  opportunity  for  advance- 
ment to  commercial  employees  and 
believing  that  all  business  efficiency 
must  rest  upon  a  solid  foundation 
of  training  and  education  gave 
years  of  enthusiastic  service  to  the 
testing  of  this  belief. 


PREFACE 

This  manual  is  designed  to  place  before  the  educa- 
tional director  of  a  department  store  the  many-sided 
character  of  her  work  and  to  give  practical  suggestions 
for  educational  and  service  plans.  Vocational  education 
is  still  a  new  field  and  none  of  its  divisions  is  more  vague 
than  that  of  department  store  training.  For  this  reason 
a  book  based  on  practical  experience  with  salespeople 
should  be  of  service. 

Books  on  salesmanship  are  increasing  in  numbers  each 
year,  but  while  many  of  these  are  excellent  and  deal  very 
efficiently  with  their  subject,  they  offer  no  solutions  for 
some  of  the  most  serious  questions  which  limit  the  work 
of  the  director.  These  are  the  questions  which  are  dis- 
cussed in  the  present  volume.  Unless  the  educational 
work  is  based  upon  a  knowledge  of  the  store  oppor- 
tunities and  limitations,  the  personnel  of  the  classes,  and 
a  comprehension  of  the  salesmanship  job  in  a  store,  the 
technical  knowledge  is  not  available  or  useful. 

The  need  for  providing  department  salespeople  with 
definite  and  concrete  knowledge  of  their  merchandise  has 
long  been  recognized  and  the  present  series  is  intended  to 
meet  this  need.  However,  the  material  for  instruction 
does  not  solve  all  the  problems  of  the  educational  di- 
rector.    There  are  many  practical  difficulties  to  be  over- 

vii 


viii  PREFACE 

come,  especially  with  regard  to  the  assembling  of  classes 
from  departments  handling  similar  merchandise.  The  di- 
rector's manual  suggests  a  method  which  has  been  found 
particularly  effective  in  this  respect. 

The  author  is  indebted  to  a  number  of  other  workers 
in  this  field,  every  one  of  whom  is  a  pioneer  and  has  been 
obliged  to  work  out  the  common  problem  alone.  There 
is  a  growing  sense  of  mutual  interest  among  those  who 
have  been  opening  the  new  path,  and  each  one  contributes 
something  of  value  which  we  all  dedicate  to  a  good  cause 
—  the  raising  of  one  type  of  human  service  to  a  higher 
plane. 

Beulah  Elfreth  Kennard. 


CONTENTS 


PART  I— RELATION  TO  STORE 
ORGANIZATION 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I    Duties  of  the  Educational  Director  .     .       3 

The  Rapid  Growth  of  the  Department  Store  and 
Its  Effect  upon  the  Salesforce 

The  Creation  of  the  Position  of  Educational  Di- 
rector 

Previous  Training  for  the  Work 

Analysis  of  the  Problem 

Reduction  of  Errors 

Improvement  of  Salesmanship  the  Main  Work 

Beginning  the  Work 

Grading  the  Work 

Personal  Qualifications  for  the  Work 

II    Store  Organization  and  the  Department 

Unit 13 

The  Department  Store  a  Composite  of  Smaller 

Units 
Reasons  for  This  Form  of  Organization 
Four  Divisions  of  the  Store  Organization 
Store   Service 
Merchandising  Division 
The   Publicity  or  Advertising  and  the  Account-^ 

ing  Divisions 
The  Educational  Director  and  the  Buyer 
The  Buyer  Not  a  Teacher 
Buyer's  Co-operation  Most  Helpful 
The  Director's  Influence 
The  Unity  of  the  Department  Group 
The  Necessity  for  Team  Spirit 


X  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

III     Department  Salespeople 24 

Problems  in  Connection  with  the  Permanent 
Salesforce 

Necessity  for  Co-operation  Between  Director 
and  Management 

Director's  Acquaintance  with  the  Store  and  the 
Salesforce 

Personnel  of  the  Salesforce 

Difficulty  of  Classifying  Salespeople 

Nationalities  Represented 

Length  of  Tenure  of  Sales  Position 

Chief  Characteristics  of  Salespeople 

Individualism  and  Its  Resulting  Irresponsibility 

Lack  of  Ambition 

Increasing  the  Salesperson's  Respect  for  Her  Job 

Necessity  for  Definiteness  in  x^ll  Forms  of  In- 
struction 

Combating  the  Passive  Attitude 


PART  II— SALESMANSHIP  TRAINING 

IV    Qualifications  for  Salesmanship  ...     39 

The  Primary  Consideration 
Confusion  as  to  Necessary  Qualities 
Three  Factors  in  Salesmanship 
The  Importance  of  an  Effective  Personality 
Health 

Mental  Training 

The  Cultivation  of  the  Power  of  Attention 
Arousing  Curiosity 
Willingness  to  Take  Responsibility 
Constructive  Self-Criticism 
Imagination,  Judgment,  Tact,  and  Poise 
Self-Control 

Imparting  Definite  Knowledge 
The  Information  Necessary  for  Real  Salesman- 
ship 

V    Courses  of  Training  for  Salespeople  .     .     51 

Various  Methods 

The  Inspirational  Method 


CONTENTS  xi 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

Use  of  This  Method  by  the  Educational  Director 

Conferences 

The  Efficiency  Method 

Store  Bulletins 

General  Salesmanship  Method 

Fundamental  Basis  of  Courses 

Constructive  Plan 

Merchandise  Courses 

The  Salesmanship  Courses 

Training  for  Salespeople  with  Special  Needs 

Unusually  Promising  Salespeople 

Schedules 

Certification 

VI    Apprentice  Salespeople  and  Junior  Em- 
ployees        64 

Adapting  Instruction  to  the  Different  Grades  of 

Salespeople 
The  Junior  Employees 
Plan  of  Work 
The  Cashier  Wrappers 
Apprentice  Salespeople 
Discussion  of  Work  with  New  Salespeople 
Introduction  to  Salesmanship 
Health  Instruction 
Length  of  Course 
Classes  for  the  Holiday  Trade 

VII    The  Teaching  of  Merchandise  .     .      .      -     ^^ 

The  Great  Need  for  Information  on  Merchandise 

Inadequacy  of  Sources  of  Information 

A  Successful  Experience 

Preparatory  Measures 

The  Course  of  Study 

Results 

VIII    Material  for  Merchandise  Classes    .      .     85 

Importance  of  Suitable  Surroundings 
Necessity  for  Exhibit  Material 


xii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  tAGE 

Sources  of  Exhibits 
Permanent  Exhibits 
The  Right  Method  of  Study 
Questions  of  Space  and  Arrangement 
Use  of  Moving  Pictures 
Notes  on  Class  Work 
Trade  Papers 
Bulletin  Boards 
The  Store  Library 
The  Librarian's  Opportunity 
Co-operation  with  Public  Libraries 

IX    The  Study  of  the  Customer     ....     95 

Salespeople's  General  Attitude  Toward  the  Cus- 
tomer 

Attitude  Toward  Personal  Acquaintances 

Cultivating  an  Interest  in  People 

Different  Methods  of  Handling  the  Subject 

Types  of  Customers 

The  Nervous  Tj^pes 

The  Disagreeable  Types 

The  Critical  Types 

The  Dependent  Types 

Social  Classes 

Developing  an  Attitude  of  Hospitality  and 
Friendliness 


X    Study  of  the  Process  of  Selling  .     .     .   107 

Danger  of  Overemphasis  on  Process  of  Selling 

Personal  Salesmanship 

Department  Store  Salesmanship 

The  Salesperson's  Habitual  Attitude 

Illustration  of  Passive  Attitude  of  Saleswoman 

Classes  of  Customers 

Suggestive  Selling 

Analysis  of  Lost  Sales 

Essentials  of  Retail  Salesmanship 

Motives  Which  Influence  the  Customer 

Vanity  and  Comfort 

Thrift  and  the  Home-Making  Instinct 

The  Demonstration  Sale 

Other  Methods 


CONTENTS  xiii 

PART  III— BROADER  ASPECTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XI    Welfare  and  Social  Interests  ....   123 

The  Theory  of  Employee  Welfare 

The  Director's  Opportunity 

Ways  in  Which  Employees'  Interests  are  Cared 

For 
Connection  of  These  Interests  with  Educational 

Work 
Rest  Rooms 
Store  Hospital 
Constructive  Health  Work 
Group  Interests  vs.  Individualism 
Value  of  Gymnasium  and  Athletic  Work 
Musical  Interests 
Entertainments  and  Parties 
Mutual  Benefit  and  Insurance  Plans 
Co-operative  Associations 
Illustrations  of  Employee  Participation 
Necessity  for  Co-ordinating  Interests 
The  Store  Paper 
Forms  of  Store  Papers 
Example  of  a  Successful  Store  Paper 
Director's  Connection  with  Store  Paper 


XII    Employment,  Placement,  and  Promotion  140 

Position  of  the  Director 

Attitude  of  Management  Toward  Labor  Turnover 
How  to  Estimate  the  Turnover 
Reasons  for  the  High  Rate  of  Turnover 
Cost  of  a  Turnover 

Necessity  for  a  Better  Handling  of  Employment 
The  Employment  Department 
Systems  for  Testing  of  Employees 
Use  of  the  Application  Blank 
Introducing  the  New  Employee  to  the  Store 
Intelligent  Placement  Based  on  Job  Analysis 
Necessity   for   a   Definite   System  of   Wage   In- 
creases 
Promotion 


xiv  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

Problem  of  Discharge  and  Resignations  of  Em- 
ployees 

Relation  of  Department  Store  Problems  to 
Women  in  Industry 

XIII  Co-operation  With  the  Public  Schools  .    157 

Closer  Relationship  Between  the  Public  School 
System  and  Industry 

How  the  Public  School  Co-operates  with  the  De- 
partment Store 

Shortcomings  of  High  School  Courses 

Co-operative  High  School  Classes 

The  Boston  Plan 

The  Cincinnati  System 

The  New  York  Plan 

XIV  Outline    for    a    Course    in    the    Public 

Schools  —  the  New  York  Plan  .      .      .    164 

How  the  Educational  Director  May  Help 
Plan  Must  Be  Mutually  Beneficial 
The  New  York  Courses 

XV    Business  Ethics  in  the  Department  Store  183 

The  Director's  Responsibility 

Implication  and  Meaning  of  Commercial  Ethics 

The  Larger  Social  Consciousness 

Mutual  Service  the  Key-note 

Overcoming  Past  Traditions 

The  Director's  Opportunity 

Appendix 191 

Books  for  Reference 

Representative  Store  Bulletins 

Review  Questions 

Junior  Employees 

Sources  of  Material  for  Merchandise  Qasses 


CONTENTS  XV 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


Leather  and  Glove  Exhibit Frontispiece 

FIGURE  FACING    PAGE 

1.  A  Certification  Dinner        62 

2.  A  Merchandise  Class  in  Session 80 

3.  Exhibit  for  Millinery  Classes 86 

4.  A  Typical  Department  Store  Employees'  Gymnasium  Class  130 

5.  A  Summer  Half-Holiday  Outing 186 


THE  EDUCATIONAL 
DIRECTOR 

Part  I  — Relation  to  Store  Organization 


FOREWORD 

In  Part  I  the  position  of  the  educational  director  is 
defined,  her  duties  are  outlined,  and  the  scope  of  her 
work  is  suggested.  Her  vision  must  always  be  fo- 
cused upon  the  department  salespeople  who  are  the 
main  dependence  of  the  store  and  who  as  yet,  from 
lack  of  knowledge  or  the  right  sort  of  interest,  fail  to 
fill  their  important  place  in  a  satisfactory  way. 

The  immediate  task  before  the  director  is  therefore 
to  lessen  errors  among  the  selling  force  and  to  secure 
better  co-operation  between  the  different  elements  in 
the  store.  An  outline  of  department  problems  is  given 
here  to  make  the  director's  work  clearer. 

She  must  begin  to  build  a  constructive  educational 
plan  and  must  first  know  the  conditions  and  the  mate- 
rial with  which  her  work  is  to  be  done. 


Chapter  I 

DUTIES  OF  THE  EDUCATIONAL 
DIRECTOR 

The  Rapid  Growth  of  the  Department  Store  and  Its 
Effect  Upon  the  Salesforce 

The  department  store  is  a  form  of  enterprise  which, 
within  a  very  few  years,  has  grown  from  insignificant 
beginnings  to  a  great  and  complicated  organization. 
Some  of  the  men  who  opened  the  first  department 
stores  in  our  largest  cities  are  still  living. 

In  this  rapid  development,  as  in  many  forms  of  busi- 
ness, the  mechanical  things  were  given  first  attention. 
Beautiful  and  luxurious  buildings  have  been  erected, 
delivery  systems  have  been  worked  out,  and  the  ac- 
counting department  has  been  developed.  But  the 
store's  selling  force,  upon  which  the  whole  success  of 
the  business  rests,  has  been  left  very  much  to  chance. 

The  Creation  of  the  Position  of  Educational  Director 
Very  recently  a  large  number  of  store  executives 
have  waked  up  to  this  fact  and  have  begun  to  remedy 
the  trouble.  They  have  engaged  for  the  training  of 
their  salespeople,  an  official  who  is  usually  called  the 

3 


4  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

educational  director.  This  position  is  usually  given 
to  a  woman,  although  sometimes  a  man  is  placed  at  the 
head  of  the  department  with  one  or  more  women  as- 
sistants. 

There  are  a  number  of  reasons  for  giving  the  work 
to  a  woman.  The  chief  one  is  that,  while  men  are 
employed  in  many  of  the  departments  which  require 
expert  knowledge  —  such  as  silks,  carpets,  and  furni- 
ture —  the  great  body  of  salespeople  consists  of  women 
and  young  girls. 

The  educational  director  has  an  interesting  but  a 
very  complex  problem  before  her.  In  the  first  place 
she  is  a  pioneer  in  an  uncharted  field.  Her  functions, 
duties,  and  relations  to  the  other  officials  of  the  store 
have  not  been  clearly  defined.  In  the  second  place, 
while  she  has  a  "  free  hand  "  and  may  try  out  her  own 
theories,  she  is  required  to  produce  results  according 
to  business  standards  rather  than  educational  ones. 

Previous  Training  for  the  Work 

What  previous  training  have  these  educational  di- 
rectors had?  The  director  is  sometimes  a  young 
woman,  fresh  from  college,  who  has  had  much  study 
of  economics  but  little  business  practice.  Perhaps  she 
is  a  woman  who  has  been  a  teacher  for  some  years, 
but  has  become  interested  in  business.  Under  the 
most  favorable  conditions  the  special  training  for  the 


DUTIES  5 

position  has  been  brief,  owing  to  the  recent  develop- 
ment of  the  idea. 

The  director  who  comes  to  her  work  soon  after  leav- 
ing college,  with  no  teaching  experience  and  a  super- 
ficial knowledge  of  salesmanship,  is  apt  to  slip  into 
the  business  attitude,  aiming  at  simple,  concrete  im- 
provements which  will  bring  quick  though  limited 
results,  instead  of  trying  to  lay  the  foundation  for 
more  permanent  gains. 

The  trained  teacher  has  the  advantage  of  a  wider 
experience,  but  she  is  likely  to  be  appalled  by  the  size 
of  the  job  she  has  undertaken  and  thus  to  be  driven 
from  one  tentative  plan  to  another  without  carrying 
any  of  these  to  complete  success.  In  either  case  the 
director  suffers  for  want  of  a  comprehensive  outline 
and  a  constructive  plan  for  her  work. 

Analysis  of  the  Problem 

The  director's  task  involves  two  important  problems 
—  first,  to  secure  immediate  results  in  response  to  the 
most  pressing  needs  of  the  store ;  second,  to  develop 
latent  ability  and  increase  its  efficiency  permanently. 

The  solution  of  the  first  problem  is  found  in  an  im- 
provement in  system  and  the  reduction  of  errors  and 
leakages  of  all  kinds.  Permanent  gains  are  achieved 
by  raising  the  standard  of  salesmanship.  This  may  be 
done  most  effectively  by  careful  organization  of  lines 


6  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

of  promotion  and  a  real  preparation  for  advancement. 
If  the  director  proceeds  in  the  right  way,  loyalty,  inter- 
est, and  team-work  may  be  natural  and  spontaneous 
instead  of  forced  and  artificial  and  the  labor  turnover 
may  be  reduced  to  a  minimum. 

The  director  must  often  enter  upon  her  comprehen- 
sive task  without  assistance.  She  sometimes  conducts, 
unaided,  the  instruction  of  hundreds  of  pupils  who 
would  in  a  school  be  assigned  to  no  less  than  eight  or 
ten  teachers.  For  her  work  and  its  diverse  require- 
ments the  director  has  but  one  brain,  one  voice,  some- 
times but  one  classroom,  and  really  no  appropriate 
store  time. 

The  hours  in  which  class  instruction  may  be  given 
are  nearly  always  limited  to  the  first  two  in  the  morn- 
ing, with  the  possibility  of  forming  groups  for  a  short 
time  at  the  end  of  the  store  day.  This  last  hour  is 
usually  very  unsatisfactory  because  teacher  and  stu- 
dents are  too  worn  out  to  do  effective  work. 

A  director  must  make  for  herself  a  program  of  work 
with  the  understanding  that  business  conditions  may 
entirely  upset  it.  She  should  have  a  second  and  third 
line  of  defense  by  way  of  alternative  programs,  and 
then  be  able  to  scrap  them  all  and  pitch  into  some  en- 
tirely new  situation.  These  difificulties  only  make  con- 
sideration and  foresight  in  all  her  plans  more  impor- 
tant. 


DUTIES  7 

Reduction  of  Errors 

It  is  not  very  difficult  to  attack  the  question  of  "  er- 
rors "  on  sales  slips  and  this  is  all  that  some  stores 
expect  of  an  educational  director.  If  there  has  been 
no  previous  work  done  in  this  line  the  first  necessity  is 
a  system  by  which  these  errors  may  be  listed  and  classi- 
fied, and  the  records  kept  so  that  the  director  may  learn 
who  among  the  salespeople  are  in  special  need  of  ad- 
vice, criticism,  or  training. 

The  errors  all  fall  under  three  general  heads : 

1.  Incomplete  or  wrong  entries,  such  as: 

(a)  Wrong  addresses. 

(b)  Wrong  prices  on  goods. 

(c)  No  prices  on  goods. 

(d)  Goods  over  on  checks. 

(e)  Goods  short  on  checks. 

(f)  Checks  not  dated. 

(g)  Sales  numbers  not  on  checks. 

(h)    Carbons  not  properly  placed  in  books, 
(i)    Charge  address  or  send  address  not  filled 

out. 
(As  the  sales  check  is  not  standardized,  these 
errors  will  vary  in  different  stores.) 

2.  Incorrect  calculations : 

(a)  Overcharges. 

(b)  Wrong  extension  on  checks. 


8  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

(c)   Wrong  addition  on  checks. 
3.  Illegible  writing  or  bad  spelling: 

(a)  Illegible  writing. 

(b)  Abbreviations  in  checks. 

(c)  Bad  spelling. 

The  first  and  largest  group  indicates  (except  from 
new  employees)  simply  carelessness.  The  other  two 
may  be  due  either  to  carelessness  or  ignorance,  and  the 
director  must  be  able  to  determine  which  salespeople 
need  help  and  which  ones  need  a  reprimand  or  warn- 
ing. 

Important  as  the  question  of  errors  is,  the  new  di- 
rector should  not  allow  it  to  absorb  too  much  of  the 
time.  It  can  be  fully  disposed  of  only  gradually  and 
then  only  by  more  or  less  indirect  methods  in  connec- 
tion with  other  and  more  constructive  educational 
work.  Direct  "  error "  work  is  always  critical  and 
negative.  It  arouses  only  antagonism  on  the  part  of 
some  who  have  in  them  qualifications  for  expert  sales- 
manship. 

One  of  the  early  constructive  pieces  of  work  which 
will  indirectly  do  much  to  reduce  errors  is  the  charting 
of  the  store,  showing  the  interrelation  of  the  office  and 
sales  and  delivery  departments.  This  will  give  the 
careless  salesperson  a  sense  of  the  responsibility  of  his 
or  her  position  which  no  series  of  scoldings  could  ac- 


DUTIES  9 

complish.  If  possible,  the  educational  director  should 
secure  the  co-operation  of  a  store  executive  v/ho  will 
have  the  charts  made  under  his  direction. 

Improvement  of  Salesmanship  the  Main  Work 

After  correction  of  errors  comes  the  main  work  of 
the  educational  director  —  improvement  of  general 
salesmanship,  reorganization,  and  better  plans  for  pro- 
motion according  to  the  ability  and  the  good  work  of 
the  salespeople. 

The  specific  point  next  taken  up  varies  with  the  needs 
of  the  store,  but  the  general  object  which  must  be  at- 
tained is  always  the  same  —  co-operation  or  team- 
work. In  store  organization  general  co-operation  is 
difficult  to  secure,  partly  because  it  has  been  no  man's 
special  business.  The  educational  director,  however, 
needs  it  for  her  own  success  and  the  store  expects  her 
to  make  it  her  special  concern.  Various  methods  of 
securing  team-work  will  be  suggested  in  their  proper 
places. 

Beginning  the  Work 

Suppose  a  director  is  without  any  assistant  and  the 
store  a  new  field  so  far  as  educational  work  is  con- 
cerned.    How  shall  she  begin? 

A  good  plan  is  to  make  a  frank  statement  of  the 
situation  to  the  general  manager  or  the  person  in  the 


lO  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

firm  who  is  most  interested  in  the  educational  plan. 
He  will  not  be  much  concerned  with  her  methods,  es- 
pecially those  which  are  most  constructively  educa- 
tional. They  are  out  of  his  line.  But  he  will  appre- 
ciate the  objects  and  it  is  well  for  him  to  begin  thinking 
about  the  size  of  the  job. 

The  director  must  also  realize  that  the  spirit  which 
develops  team-work  is  usually  the  result  of  the  per- 
sonal interest  of  the  management  in  the  employees 
and  of  some  social  life  among  themselves.  Athletics, 
clubs,  music,  dancing,  and  occasional  dinners  have  all 
been  successfully  tried  as  a  means  to  the  end  of  co- 
operation. The  store  executives  must  feel  an  interest 
in  the  social  activities  as  well  as  educational  develop- 
ment, in  order  to  deepen  and  strengthen  loyal  store 
spirit. 

Grading  the  Work 

There  are  marked  differences  in  the  educational  work 
which  must  be  provided  for  the  boys  and  girls,  some- 
times called  junior  employees;  for  the  apprentice  sales- 
people ;  and  for  the  regular  departmental  salespeople. 

These  distinct  groups  constitute  three  "  grades  " 
which  the  director  must  study  and  for  whom  she  must 
devise  methods  of  teaching  which  will  give  them  the 
immediate  training  necessary  and  a  desire  for  broader 
knowledge. 


DUTIES  1 1 

The  boys  and  girls  need  the  academic  work  which 
they  have  failed  to  receive  in  school,  as  well  as  in- 
struction in  store  service.  Apprentice  salespeople  need 
to  learn  the  first  principles  of  salesmanship.  But  the 
most  important  of  the  three  groups  is  the  one  com- 
prising the  permanent  sales  force  who  need  a  good  deal 
more  sound  training,  knowledge,  and  inspiration  than 
they  now  have,  if  they  are  to  meet  the  new  conditions 
of  the  business  world. 

Personal  Qualifications  for  the  Work 

The  educational  director  must  be  a  well-balanced 
woman  to  do  the  work  required  of  her  as  it  should  be 
done.  Her  task  is  quite  different  from  that  of  the 
welfare  secretary  or  store  mother,  whose  successor  she 
is.  The  store  mother  had  a  personal  interest  in  as 
many  girls  as  she  could  reach  (and  some  store  mothers 
have  thought  that  they  could  be  personally  effective 
with  a  thousand  girls  at  a  time). 

The  director  cannot  spend  her  time  on  details,  for 
she  is  in  the  store  to  change  conditions  —  a  very  dif- 
ferent sort  of  work  for  the  new  official,  although  the 
problem  of  the  individual  may  suggest  a  condition 
which  ought  to  be  changed  either  in  the  store  or  in  the 
girl.  Like  the  dean  of  women  in  a  college,  the  educa- 
tional director  of  a  department  store  must  provide  the 
environment  in  which  the  girls  can  do  their  best  work 


12  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

and  the  plan  with  which  they  are  to  co-operate.  She 
needs  to  see  things  in  the  large,  to  have  vision  as  well 
as  enthusiasm,  and  to  be  a  builder,  not  a  putterer. 

The  director  should,  if  possible,  be  a  college  woman. 
Though  she  will  need  to  unlearn  many  college  habits 
of  mind,  she  cannot  have  too  broad  a  foundation  for 
the  constructive  planning  which  she  is  required  to  do. 
Business  or  professional  experience  is  as  invaluable  to 
her  as  the  academic  background  and  should  be  added 
to  it  if  possible.  But  above  all,  the  woman  who  is  to 
raise  a  whole  group  of  women  above  the  level  where 
they  now  stand  must  be  strong  and  fine,  generous  and 
just  in  character,  free  from  any  petty  jealousy  herself, 
and  able  to  inspire  in  others  the  same  high  standards. 
The  woman  of  today  feels  for  the  first  time  the  chal- 
lenge of  the  business  world.  It  is  a  call  to  the  best  that 
is  in  her. 


Chapter  II 

STORE  ORGANIZATION  AND  THE 
DEPARTMENT  UNIT 

The  Department  Store  a  Composite  of  Smaller  Units 
There  are  two  factors  in  the  director's  problem 
which  she  must  understand  before  she  can  begin  to 
work  it  out.  These  are :  first,  the  special  organization 
of  the  store,  and  second,  the  character  of  the  sales- 
people. 

The  department  store  has  an  organization  which 
differs  in  many  respects  from  that  of  other  types  of 
business.  Though  it  has  developed  as  the  result  of 
the  general  movement  toward  speciaHzed  functions 
with  centraHzed  control,  it  is  still  far  from  being  a  unit. 
It  may  be  classified  as  a  composite  of  smaller  units 
called  sales  departments,  which  are  held  together 
by  a  common  system  of  accounting  and  delivery  of 
goods.  The  degree  of  dependence  of  the  departments 
upon  the  store  management  varies  even  within  one 
store,  as  well  as  between  different  stores. 

Reasons  for  This  Form  of  Organization 

The  reason  for  this  somewhat  loose  and  uncertain 

13 


14  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

form  of  organization  may  be  found  in  the  history  of 
the  department  store,  which  has,  in  the  vast  majority 
of  cases,  developed  by  a  process  of  addition  and  not 
of  division.  Comparing  the  store  with  the  factory, 
for  example,  we  see  that  in  the  factory  growth  has  been 
chiefly  a  matter  of  subdivisions.  Where  a  department 
has  become  too  large  for  one  manager  it  has  been  made 
into  two  departments  under  two  managers,  but  the 
general  system  of  organization  is  not  changed.  Even 
if  new  branches  of  manufactures  are  introduced  they 
must  come  under  the  general  control.  Any  executives 
that  are  taken  in  become  part  of  the  firm,  but  the  heads 
of  the  new  departments  have  their  duties  and  limita- 
tions well  defined  so  that  there  may  be  no  confusion 
or  overlapping. 

The  department  store,  on  the  other  hand,  has  usually 
started  with  a  certain  kind  of  merchandise,  such  as 
dry-goods,  and  has  gradually  added  other  departments, 
such  as  notions,  millinery,  shoes,  etc.,  to  the  original 
unit.  Although  many  stores  seem  to  spring  up  full- 
grown,  it  will  be  found,  when  their  history  is  exam- 
ined, that  they  have  developed  in  this  way  perhaps 
in  another  section  of  the  city  and  are  merely  trans- 
ferring an  old  store  to  a  new  place. 

In  building  up  its  organization  by  this  method  the 
department  store  has  very  often  brought  in  the  mana- 
gers of  specialty  shops  with  their  stock  and  salespeople. 


THE  DEPARTMENT  UNIT  15 

This  was  the  approved  method  of  one  of  our  greatest 
merchants  and  it  has  been  more  or  less  common  every- 
where. But  whether  an  actual  shop  was  incorporated 
in  the  store  or  not,  the  new  type  of  merchandise  has 
problems  of  its  own.  It  was  connected  with  different 
wholesale  markets  and  in  many  cases  needed  specially 
qualified  salespeople.  The  result  has  been  that  each 
of  these  added  departments  has  been  kept  quite  indi- 
vidual. The  buyer  is  usually  the  manager  of  the  de- 
partment and  occupies  a  very  independent  position. 

Four  Divisions  of  the  Store  Organization 

The  general  store  organization  falls  into  four  divi- 
sions; (i)  store  service,  (2)  merchandising,  (3)  ad- 
vertising or  publicity,  and  (4)  accounting.  Above 
these  may  be  a  board  of  directors,  a  general  manager, 
or  other  officials  representing  general  control,  but  the 
relations  of  the  various  divisions  are  more  or  less 
confused  and  difficult  of  adjustment  under  even  the 
best  management.  The  functions  of  each  division 
may  be  briefly  stated  as  follows : 

Store  Service 

Store  service  includes  delivery  of  goods;  exchanges 
and  adjustmei^t ;  care  of  the  building,  elevators,  and 
restaurants;  and  all  questions  of  discipline.  The  head 
of  this  division  is  called  the  store  superintendent.     He 


i6  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

supervises  the  floor  superintendents  and  aisle  managers, 
and  he  also  usually  engages  and  discharges  the  em- 
ployees. 

Merchandising  Division 

The  merchandise  departments,  hov^^ever,  are  grouped 
under  the  merchandise  manager,  to  whom  the  buyers 
report  and  who  apportions  the  amount  which  each  de- 
partment may  spend.  Sometimes  the  merchandise 
manager  determines  the  general  merchandising  policy 
and  leaves  the  buyer  very  little  room  for  initiative.  In 
other  cases  the  buyer  is  practically  an  independent 
storekeeper,  so  far  as  the  handling  of  his  merchandise 
and  sales  policies  are  concerned,  and  is  only  required 
to  make  a  certain  profit  for  the  store.  In  still  other 
cases  he  may  be  little  more  than  a  tenant,  though  using 
the  store  delivery  system,  as  is  often  the  case  in  the 
piano  and  grocery  departments  which  do  not  naturally 
ally  themselves  with  other  store  divisions. 

The  buyers  who  seem  to  be  somewhat  independent 
of  the  store  are,  at  the  same  time,  in  a  position  of 
rivalry  with  each  other.  They  are  always  being  rated 
according  to  the  amount  of  sales  in  their  depart- 
ments, and  cannot  help  being  jealous  of  any  advantage 
of  location,  advertising,  display,  or  sales  force  and, 
while  a  certain  amount  of  rivalry  between  different  de- 
partments is  wholesome  and  spurs  each  one  on,  the 


THE  DEPARTMENT  UNIT  17 

jealousies  arising  among  them  are  a  source  of  constant 
trouble. 

The  Publicity  or  Advertising  and  the  Accounting  Divi- 
sions 

The  publicity  or  advertising  includes  window-dress- 
ing, newspaper  advertising,  slips  for  packages,  and  any 
special  plans.  Each  department  is  entitled  to  some 
part  of  the  advertising  and  display,  which  should  be 
determined  on  the  basis  of  its  success  in  building  up  the 
business. 

The  accounting  division  does  not  differ  from  that  of 
any  other  retail  business  except  that  each  merchandise 
department  is  in  touch  with  it  through  the  markers  and 
checkers. 

The  educational  director  is  brought  into  intimate 
connection  with  some  of  these  store  divisions  and  has 
only  an  indirect  relation  to  others ;  for  example,  to  the 
store  accounting  division.  It  is  in  the  divisions  of 
merchandising  and  store  service  that  her  duties  lie, 
and  it  is  in  these  divisions  that  overlapping,  inefficiency, 
and  wastefulness  are  commonly  found. 

The  Educational  Director  and  the  Buyer 

The  educational  director  is  in  a  strategic  position, 
where  she  may  show  buyers  the  advantages  of  co- 
operation if  they  will  only  give  her  sufficient  time. 


1 8  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

Unfortunately  the  buyer  is  apt  to  be  short-sighted,  be- 
cause he  must  keep  his  weekly  and  monthly  quota  up 
to  the  mark  and  cannot  afford  to  spend  time  to  round 
out  the  efficiency  of  his  department. 

The  buyer  is  responsible  for  the  merchandise  turn- 
over in  his  department,  but  not  for  the  labor  turnover. 
It  does  not  seem  to  him  to  be  worth  while  to  spend 
time  in  training  salespeople  whom  he  expects  to  lose  in 
a  short  time  or  who  he  thinks  are  unable  to  increase 
their  selling  efficiency  to  any  marked  degree.  The 
buyer  is  the  most  ardent  believer  in  the  theory  that 
salespeople  are  born,  not  made,  because  he  does  not 
know  how  to  make  them. 

The  Buyer  Not  a  Teacher 

The  old-fashioned  storekeeper  trained  his  salespeo- 
ple himself,  and  as  the  buyer  is  the  successor  of  the 
small  storekeeper  he  is  supposed  to  do  the  same  thing. 
But  the  age  of  specialization  has  caught  him  and  it  is 
impossible  for  him  to  train  his  force  himself.  The 
storekeeper  was  in  constant  touch  with  his  employees. 
He  sold  goods  at  their  side  and  was  familiar  with 
their  habits  of  mind.  Usually  he  knew  them  outside 
as  well  as  inside  the  store. 

The  modern  buyer  does  no  direct  selling.  The  more 
efficient  he  is  as  a  buyer,  the  less  time  he  is  apt  to  spend 
in  the  department,  as  he  must  keep  in  touch  with  mar- 


THE  DEPARTMENT  UNIT  19 

kets,  conditions  of  wholesale  trade,  and  with  traveling 
salesmen.  The  metropolitan  buyer  spends  several 
months  of  the  year  in  Europe  and  the  buyer  from  the 
small  town  goes  to  the  large  city. 

There  is  nothing  in  the  buyer's  experience  which 
fits  him  to  be  an  instructor  except  his  knowledge  of 
the  merchandise.  Even  this  knowledge  is  often  of  a 
limited  commercial  type  that  will  not  be  useful  to  a 
salesperson  unless  it  rests  on  a  foundation  of  general 
information. 

Buyer's  Co-operation  Most  Helpful 

Buyers  almost  always  have  a  shrewd  sense  of  facts 
and  can  often  be  of  invaluable  help  in  diagnosing  the 
weaknesses  of  their  departments  and  their  salespeople, 
though  few  of  them  know  how  to  cure  these  weak- 
nesses. The  director  may  have  to  go  against  the 
buyer's  prejudices  in  making  out  her  educational  plan 
but  she  should  never  for  a  moment  forget  him.  If  she 
consults  him  whenever  possible  she  will  often  find  that 
this  bugbear  of  all  educators  is  floundering  only  be- 
cause he  fails  to  understand  connections  which  are  out 
of  his  line.  He  is  ready  to  co-operate  if  the  instructor 
is  tactful  and  practical. 

The  Director's  Influence 

There  is  often  antagonism  between  the  buyer  and 


20  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

his  salesforce,  because  he  is  impatient  over  defects 
which  he  does  not  know  how  to  cure  and  they  are  irri- 
tated by  what  they  consider  his  unjust  criticisms. 

It  is  the  director's  province  to  bridge  this  gulf  of  mis- 
understanding and,  by  seeing  both  sides,  to  overcome 
the  antagonism.  She  can  see  the  flaws  just  as  well  as 
the  buyer  can,  but  she  also  sees  the  reasons  for  the 
defects,  which  she  can  often  correct.  She  should  be  a 
sympathetic  listener,  always  trying  to  get  from  the 
buyer  the  positive  side  and  to  learn  from  him  what  in- 
formation he  wants  to  give,  or  often  thinks  he  has 
given,  his  salespeople.  Then  she  can  put  it  into  the 
form  which  they  will  understand  and  use. 

Many  stores  are  now  trying  to  secure  a  higher  degree 
of  efficiency  and  increase  sales  by  linking  up  depart- 
ments through  selected  salespeople  who  are  *'  paired  " 
for  this  purpose.  Each  saleswoman  in  a  department 
has  a  friend  in  another  department  to  whom  she  re- 
fers a  customer  for  special  attention,  often  giving  her 
a  personal  card  of  introduction.  By  this  method  the 
customer  is  given  the  same  sense  of  friendly  interest 
which  she  finds  in  the  smaller  specialty  shops,  new 
goods  are  introduced,  and  special  sales  are  advertised. 
The  plan  is  not  entirely  artificial  as  the  saleswoman 
does  have  a  greater  interest  in  a  customer  so  introduced 
and  also  feels  that  she  has  connections  outside  of  her 
own  department.     It  helps  to  lessen  the  loneliness  of 


THE  DEPARTMENT  UNIT  21 

her  position  and  to  give  it  occasionally  the  flavor  of 
surprise. 

In  one  store  where  this  plan  was  being  inaugurated 
the  buyers  felt  themselves  quite  able  to  handle  it  and 
resented  any  interference  from  the  educational  direc- 
tor. But  soon  the  whole  thing  was  in  a  snarl.  In  one 
case  every  buyer  in  a  group  had  asked  for  the  same 
expert  saleswoman  to  pair  with  one  of  the  girls  in  his 
department,  while  other  members  of  the  expert's  de- 
partment were  quite  out  in  the  cold.  The  buyers  were 
glad  to  turn  to  the  director  and  ask  her  to  straighten 
things  out;  she  appointed  in  each  case  the  saleswomen 
she  thought  best  fitted  to  work  in  pairs. 

The  buyer  is  not  less  human  or  reasonable  than 
other  people.  He  is  merely  a  highly  specialized  com- 
mercial product  who  has  learned  to  look  at  every- 
thing from  one  point  of  view  and  to  measure  his 
subordinates  according  to  limited  standards.  His 
problem  is  often  a  hard  and  discouraging  one,  but  he  is 
quick  to  respond  to  real  help  and  understanding. 

The  Unity  of  the  Department  Group 

The  department  group  should  feel  its  own  unity. 
This  is  one  reason  for  forming  classes  in  which  mem- 
bers of  the  same  or  allied  departments  are  brought  to- 
gether and  which  include,  at  one  time  or  another,  all 
the  members  of  the  department.     Any  class  system  by 


22  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

which  salespeople  are  chosen  at  random  from  depart- 
ments having  no  common  interests  serves  to  break  up 
this  sense  of  department  unity,  w^hich  is  the  basis  of 
the  larger  loyalty  to  the  store. 

Departmental  meetings  should  be  supplemented  by 
interdepartmental  ones,  so  that  their  relations  may  be 
seen  and  group  interests  developed.  Team-work  can- 
not be  done  without  first  securing  a  team  in  which 
each  member  is  assigned  to  some  special  function  and 
yet  feels  his  dependence  on  the  others  for  complete 
success. 

The  Necessity  for  Team  Spirit 

In  one  store  a  whole  group  of  first-floor  departments 
agreed  to  help  each  other,  to  advertise  sales  and  new 
merchandise,  and  to  co-operate  in  every  way.  The 
buyer  in  the  leading  department  had  once  been  a  base- 
ball player  and  he  knew  the  spirit  of  the  league  game. 
The  results  were  noticeable,  even  in  a  large  store  or- 
ganization. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  was  the  custom  in  that  same 
store,  to  use  some  of  the  first-floor  aisle  tables  for  the 
sale  of  "  specials  "  from  a  number  of  departments  in 
widely  separated  sections.  Some  of  the  salespeople  at 
these  tables  were  new  employees  whose  isolation  from 
the  other  members  of  their  departments  made  them 
careless  and  inefficient.     They  were  put  under  the  di- 


THE  DEPARTMENT  UNIT  23 

rection  of  a  special  supervisor  who  had  been  a  success- 
ful buyer  and  had  always  secured  co-operation  from  her 
salesforce.  But  the  buyers  of  the  department  from 
which  the  merchandise  came  were  not  willing  to  let  her 
develop  her  plans  or  assume  control  and  the  plan  failed 
because  of  lack  of  team  spirit.  Perhaps  the  educa- 
tional director  might  have  made  this  combination  effec- 
tive, if  she  had  been  allowed  to  arbitrate  between  the 
conflicting  interests. 

The  store  reaps  an  indirect  benefit  from  team  spirit 
because  of  its  influence  on  the  customer.  Anyone  who 
comes  into  such  an  atmosphere  of  good-will  and  friend- 
liness is  immediately  impressed  by  it,  even  though  the 
feeling  is  unconscious.  It  will  lessen  waste  and  in- 
crease efficiency  all  along  the  line. 

Salespeople  may  learn,  like  other  people,  that  aver- 
age ability  combined  with  other  average  ability  reaches 
a  higher  level  than  either  could  reach  alone,  and  that 
here  as  elsewhere  "  in  union  there  is  strength." 


Chapter  III 

DEPARTMENT  SALESPEOPLE 

Problems  in  Connection  with  the  Permanent  Salesforce 
The  second  essential  element  which  the  educational 
director  must  consider  is  the  character  of  the  sales- 
people who  constitute  the  permanent  salesforce.  The 
junior  employees  and  apprentice  salespeople  need  dif- 
ferent treatment,  which  is  discussed  in  more  detail  in 
Chapter  VI. 

The  director  must  see  this  block  of  her  work  in 
clear  perspective  as  she  makes  her  plan  for  its  accom- 
plishment. No  improvements  in  system  or  service  are 
worth  the  effort  they  cost  unless  they  are  part  of  a 
constructive  scheme  to  raise  the  standard  of  salesman- 
ship. 

If  the  store  is  to  be  brought  to  a  higher  level  of 
efficiency,  it  must  be  done  through  the  training  and 
inspiration  of  the  experienced  men  and  women  who 
constitute  the  permanent  salesforce.  They  are  not 
usually  aware  of  any  need  of  training.  They  know 
the  store  system  and  method  and  they  are  sufficiently 

24 


DEPARTMENT  SALESPEOPLE  2$ 

satisfactory  to  be  held  over  dull  seasons.  But  in  too 
many  cases  they  seem  to  have  slowed  down  into  an  un- 
varying jog-trot  which  cannot  easily  be  changed  for  the 
better,  though  it  may  slacken  as  the  salesperson  grows 
older  and  the  work  becomes  more  monotonous. 

This  large  group  has  been  the  subject  of  many  more 
or  less  successful  experiments  in  "  efficiency  "  training, 
but  the  effects  of  such  attempts  are  not  lasting  except 
in  the  few  cases  where  personal  ambition  has  been 
aroused.  No  speeding-up  process  will  give  permanent 
results.  Just  as  soon  as  the  pressure  is  relaxed  the 
group  falls  back  to  its  old  standard  and  its  old  prac- 
tices. 

Necessity  for  Co-operation  Between  Director  and  Man- 
agement 

Any  permanent  gains  must  come  through  increasing 
the  personal  interest  and  efficiency  of  the  salespeople 
and  getting  better  team-work.  The  director  must  also 
have  the  full  co-operation  of  the  store  management  and 
proper  recognition  of  improvement  or  the  interest  will 
soon  die  out.  A  teacher  can  give  information  and 
develop  ability,  but  the  store  must  supply  the  incentive 
through  increased  wages  or  promotion  as  the  employee 
earns  such  advances. 

The  question  of  promotion  and  other  employment 
problems  are  discussed  in  Chapter  XIL 


26  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

Director's  Acquaintance  with  the  Store  and  the  Sales- 
force 

It  is  not  well  to  consider  the  formation  of  classes 
among  these  experienced  salespeople  until  the  director 
is  fairly  well  acquainted  with  the  store  in  all  its  depart- 
ments and  has  broken  ground  among  the  younger 
groups.  She  must  have  the  full  support  of  the  man- 
agement to  counteract  the  criticisms  of  buyers  and  old- 
time  salesmen  who  think  they  know  it  all,  and  resent 
the  idea  that  anyone  should  try  to  improve  them.  By 
carefully  preparing  the  way  the  director  can  see  that 
the  members  of  such  classes  have  the  right  attitude  and 
feel  that  they  have  gained  something  of  value. 

The  director  should  know  something  of  the  type  of 
mind  and  the  mental  habits  of  the  salesgirls  who  will 
make  up  her  largest  classes.  She  should  know  what 
their  special  weaknesses  are  and  the  positive  qualities 
upon  which  she  can  build.  She  should  not  underesti- 
mate the  knowledge  which  they  have  gained  from  expe- 
rience, yet  she  must  know  that  nearly  all  their  infor- 
mation is  so  superficial  and  fragmentary  that  she  is  in 
danger  of  assuming  too  much  and  therefore  talking 
above  their  heads. 

Her  task  is  to  gather  up  the  scattered  threads  and 
weave  them  into  a  solid  fabric  of  knowledge.  She 
must  not  forget  that  she  is  teaching  adults  and  that  the 
minds  of  adults  are  not  very  pliable.     They  must  be 


DEPARTMENT  SALESPEOPLE  2^ 

led  to  new  ideas  along  accustomed  paths,  otherwise 
the  ideas  simply  do  not  get  to  them  at  all. 

Those  who  purpose  teaching  salesmanship  in  the  de- 
partment store  do  not  usually  have  a  clear  idea  of  the 
special  needs  of  their  students.  The  educational  direc- 
tor must  understand  her  group  before  she  can  work 
with  it.  She  should  study  its  racial  and  local  back- 
ground so  that  she  may  be  able  to  adapt  her  educa- 
tional plans  to  them. 

Personnel  of  the  Salesforce 

Some  stores  and  some  cities  draw  salespeople  from 
a  much  better  social  grade  than  others.  A  number  of 
studies  in  one  city  have  shown  that  less  than  half  of  the 
employees  in  ten  stores  had  graduated  from  grammar 
school,  but  this  condition  is  changing  for  the  better  as 
educational  and  child  labor  laws  restrict  the  employ- 
ment of  children. 

Though  the  legal  age  for  employment  is  now  four- 
teen years,  many  establishments  have  decided  to  em- 
ploy no  person  under  sixteen  years,  thus  doing  away 
with  compulsory  continuation  classes  and  labor  certifi- 
cates. The  general  raising  of  the  age  for  employment 
is  even  now  having  its  effect  and  this  effect  will  be 
more  and  more  apparent  as  the  older  salespeople  are 
replaced,  but  at  the  present  time  there  are  many  with  a 
very  limited  education. 


28  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

Difficulty  of  Classifying  Salespeople 

Some  experts  in  efficiency  have  tried  to  classify  sales- 
people and  to  discover  their  peculiar  characteristics, 
home  surroundings,  or  the  other  influences  which 
should  be  reckoned  with  by  the  salesmanship  teacher. 
Such  investigations  are  futile,  because  there  is  no 
special  kind  of  person  entering  the  department  store. 
The  background,  training,  and  personal  qualifications 
of  a  number  of  salespeople  differ  as  much  as  those  of 
an  unselected  class  in  the  public  school.  A  few  gen- 
eral distinctions  may,  however,  be  found. 

Nationalities  Represented 

In  the  salesforce  of  our  city  stores  there  are  many 
Jews,  a  fair  sprinkling  of  French  and  Germans,  but 
few  Italians  or  southeastern  Europeans.  The  immi- 
grant girl  from  southern  Europe  discovers  the  factory 
at  her  door,  and  as  she  understands  production  better 
than  merchandising,  she  drifts  into  it.  The  factory 
also  may  be  indifferent  to  her  lack  of  English,  but  the 
store  cannot.  In  most  stores  it  is  an  essential  that 
salespeople  should  speak  English  without  even  a  no- 
ticeable accent.  Therefore  the  group  is  chiefly  made 
up  of  Americans  and  of  Irish,  English,  and  Scotch  of 
the  second  generation. 

Since  the  salesman  or  saleswoman  has  had  American 
influence  and  is  often  of  American  parentage,  certain 


DEPARTMENT  SALESPEOPLE  29 

American  characteristics  may  be  expected.  He,  or 
rather  she,  is  quick,  adaptable,  good-natured,  im- 
patient, restless  under  discipline,  careless,  superficial, 
and  nervous.  These  characteristics  are  specially 
marked  in  the  Irish-American  who  probably  ranks  next 
to  the  Jewish-American  among  the  selling  forces  of  the 
store. 

Many  of  the  store  requirements  and  methods  utterly 
ignore  the  human  material  with  which  they  deal  and 
much  waste  and  loss  results. 

Length  of  Tenure  of  Sales  Position 

One  of  the  objections  often  made  to  systematic  train- 
ing for  department  stores  employees  is  that  they  spend 
only  three  or  four  years  at  their  work  and  during  this 
time  shift  rapidly  from  one  store  to  another. 

The  first  statement  is  not  borne  out  by  the  facts  ob- 
tained by  investigators.  In  one  city,  where  a  careful 
study  was  made,  it  was  found  that  out  of  the  327 
women  members  of  the  sales  force  in  the  largest  store, 
the  average  age  was  24  and  the  average  number  of 
years  spent  in  department  store  work  was  six.  These 
records  were  very  full,  so  that  it  could  be  shown 
this  was  a  real  average  and  not  one  built  up  by  a  few 
who  had  spent  many  years  in  the  service. 

Similar  investigations  were  made  in  a  number  of 
New  York  stores  and  the  results  were  even  more  sur- 


so  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

prising.  The  survey  was  not  confined  to  one  store, 
but  spread  over  seven  representative  houses  and  in- 
cluded the  members  of  one  typical  department  in  each. 
The  waist  department  was  chosen  because  it  was 
neither  at  the  bottom  of  the  scale  nor  the  top,  but  some- 
where near  the  middle,  representing  the  average  sales- 
woman rather  than  the  beginners  or  the  experts. 

The  average  age  in  these  seven  departments  was 
found  to  be  28.9  years,  and  the  average  number  of 
years  already  spent  in  department  store  work  was  eight. 

Another  store  prides  itself  on  the  number  of  em- 
ployees who  have  received  its  hundred-dollar  bonus  for 
twenty  years'  service.  It  is  not  hard  to  find  salespeople 
in  any  store  who  have  served  a  number  of  years  in 
single  departments. 

The  shifting  from  one  place  to  another  is  an  evil 
for  which  the  stores  themselves  are  largely  responsible. 
Some  changes  are  due  to  change  of  residence  and  some 
to  restlessness,  but  many  are  caused  by  a  lack  of  any 
system  of  promotion  or  salary  increases.  The  sales- 
woman who  believes  that  she  ought  to  earn  more 
money  does  not  go  to  the  management  and  ask  for  it. 
She  is  too  proud  or  too  timid  to  do  that,  but  she  goes 
to  a  rival  store  to  ask  and  often  gets  it. 

Chief  Characteristics  of  Salespeople 

In  addition  to  certain  general  American  failings  and 


DEPARTMENT  SALESPEOPLE  31 

the  limitations  of  their  education,  department  store 
employees  show  some  characteristics  which  have  been 
developed  by  their  business  life.  These  are  a  strong 
individualism,  irresponsibility,  and  lack  of  ambition. 

Individualism  and  Its  Resulting  Irresponsibility 

Nowhere  in  the  business  world  do  we  find  such  ex- 
treme individualism.  Each  department  and  each  mem- 
ber of  a  department  is  sharply  separated  from  all  the 
others  and  the  lack  of  intelligent  co-operation  is  one  of 
the  most  serious  obstacles  to  department  store  success. 
Counter  salesmanship  is  competitive  in  a  narrow 
sense.  Salespeople  standing  side  by  side  are  judged 
only  by  their  relative  efficiency  and  not  according  to  a 
fixed  standard. 

In  a  mill  or  factory  there  may  be  an  exact  measure- 
ment of  the  output  of  a  given  machine  and  operatives 
know  at  least  the  maximum  and  minimum  work  which 
is  expected  of  them.  This  method  cannot  be  repro- 
duced in  the  selling  process.  There  are  too  many  ele- 
ments over  which  the  salesperson  has  no  control. 
Goods  may  have  been  badly  bought  so  that  they  do  not 
meet  the  current  demand,  or  must  be  sold  at  prices 
above  the  market,  or  fashions  and  fancies  may  change 
abruptly.  Store  advertising  varies  in  effectiveness, 
and  weather  conditions  have  a  marked  influence  on  the 
buying  public.     Finally,  the  customer  is  an  uncertain 


Z2  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

quantity,  who  can  be  induced  neither  to  buy  what  is  set 
before  her  nor  to  make  her  purchases  on  schedule  time. 

These  many  elements  of  uncertainty  make  the  aver- 
age saleswoman  think  her  success  a  mere  matter  of 
luck.  She  knows  that  she  should  run  a  large  "  book," 
but  she  does  not  see  any  sure  way  of  doing  it. 
Though  the  competition  between  members  of  a  depart- 
ment makes  "  sales  grabbers  "  of  a  few,  the  large  num- 
ber try  to  give  each  other  equal  chances.  But  this  is 
not  team-work  and  is  often  done  with  an  absolute  dis- 
regard for  the  total  sales  of  the  department. 

The  saleswoman's  sense  of  responsibility  ends  with 
her  "  book  "  and  an}i;hing  further  is  avoided  or  re- 
sented. Indeed,  the  position  of  head  of  stock  is  some- 
times refused  because  it  means  the  taking  of  more  re- 
sponsibility, even  though  it  is  in  the  direct  line  of  pro- 
motion and  brings  a  somewhat  higher  salary. 

Store  rules  are  too  often  given  out  as  orders,  with- 
out explanation.  When  the  salespeople  can  evade 
them  without  detection  they  do  so,  just  as  rules  are 
broken  in  school  for  the  mere  love  of  adventure  or 
from  careless  disregard.  While  the  saleswoman  is 
more  anxious  than  the  school  girl  to  avoid  censure,  she 
has  no  greater  sense  of  personal  responsibility. 

Lack  of  Ambition 

Irresponsibility  and  lack  of  ambition  are  apt  to  be 


DEPARTMENT  SALESPEOPLE  33 

associated  and  the  saleswoman  has  a  good  excuse  for 
the  latter  because  of  the  uncertainties  of  her  position  in 
the  store.  As  there  are  no  definite  standards  of  sales- 
manship, so  there  is  no  definite  line  of  promotion  and 
no  assurance  in  most  cases  that  efficient  work  will  be 
recognized  and  rewarded. 

The  percentage  system  of  wage  payment  is  worked 
in  so  many  different  ways  and  with  such  secrecy  by 
nearly  all  stores  that  it  is  not  understood  and  carries 
far  less  incentive  than  the  management  believes.  Most 
saleswomen  who  are  living  on  a  restricted  income  pre- 
fer to  have  a  fixed  wage  on  which  they  can  depend. 
They  would  also  like  to  know  that  continued  good  work 
would  bring  a  wage  increase  or  promotion.  Under 
present  conditions  they  "  never  know  where  they 
stand,"  and  have  no  clear  idea  of  a  higher  goal  which 
they  may  try  to  reach. 

The  division  of  authority  over  the  saleswoman  is 
productive  of  many  troubles.  She  knows  that  the 
buyer  is  watching  her  sales  for  results,  but  she  is  far 
more  constantly  under  the  eye  of  the  floorman  or  aisle 
manager,  who  reports  to  the  store  superintendent. 
Friction  between  her  two  superior  officers  is  a  common 
situation  which  the  clever  salesgirl  does  not  fail  to  turn 
to  her  own  advantage.  This  conflict  of  authority  is 
being  remedied  in  some  stores  by  limiting  the  buyer's 
function  to  the  direct  merchandising  and  relieving  him 


34  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

of  all  responsibility  for  the  salespeople.  The  sales- 
force  can  thus  be  brought  under  a  unified  and  definite 
control,  transfers  and  promotions  are  made  easier,  and 
good  organization  results. 

Increasing  the  Salesperson's  Respect  for  Her  Job 

The  essential  thing  in  raising  the  standard  of  sales- 
manship in  the  department  store  is  to  give  the  sales- 
woman higher  respect  for  herself  and  her  work.  Too 
often  she  looks  upon  salesmanship  as  a  low-grade  job, 
far  inferior  to  stenography  or  bookkeeping,  and  she 
has  a  correspondingly  low  opinion  of  herself  because 
she  is  in  it.  When  she  leaves  the  store  she  tries  to 
forget  her  work,  and  if  she  is  in  a  large  city  tries  to 
prevent  her  friends  from  knowing  what  she  is  doing. 
Sometimes  she  will  choose  a  store  at  a  greater  distance 
from  home,  so  that  her  friends  may  not  see  her  be- 
hind the  counter. 

The  recent  enthusiasm  for  salesmanship,  the  books 
which  have  been  written,  and  the  popular  articles  in 
magazines  have  helped  to  dignify  the  despised  occupa- 
tion and  give  it  a  new  interest.  Every  educational  de- 
partment established  in  a  store  serves  to  increase  this 
respect,  because  any  work  for  which  training  is  needed 
becomes  an  expert  or  professional  job. 

Salesmanship  is  in  reality  a  high-grade  job  which, 
when  appreciated,  creates  interest  and  enthusiasm. 


DEPARTMENT  SALESPEOPLE  35 

Necessity  for  Definiteness  in  All  Forms  of  Instruction 

A  director  should  avoid,  on  the  one  hand,  efficiency 
plans  which  take  away  the  initiative  of  the  salesperson 
and  on  the  other  hand  "  inspirational  "  talks  which 
leave  the  listener's  mind  in  a  whirl  of  rosy  abstrac- 
tions. She  should  concentrate  on  the  practical  bases 
of  knowledge,  purpose,  and  good  honest  work,  and 
show  how  these  make  for  success. 

In  some  systems  of  training  the  salesperson  is  asked 
to  analyze  his  own  qualities  to  see  whether  he  has  ini- 
tiative, enthusiasm,  aggressiveness,  decision,  and  other 
desirable  traits.  Self-analysis  is  most  desirable  for 
anyone  who  knows  how  to  do  it,  but  accurate  analysis 
of  any  kind  is  one  of  the  finest  products  of  a  trained 
mind.  To  set  a  half -educated,  scatter-brained  girl 
wondering  whether  she  has  initiative  is  mere  foolish- 
ness. The  business  of  the  director  is  to  make  sit- 
uations which  will  develop  latent  initiative  instead  of 
smothering  it  as  stores  usually  do.  She  herself  must 
know  the  requisite  qualities  for  good  salesmanship  and 
then  plan  her  couse  of  training  to  secure  them. 

Combating  the  Passive  Attitude 

The  most  unfortunate  trait  in  department  store  em- 
ployees is  their  general  attitude  of  passivity.  They 
are  always  in  more  or  less  definite  fear  of  losing  their 
positions   without   warning.     They   have   no   definite 


36  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

hope  of  improving  their  situation.  They  therefore 
choose  the  Hne  of  least  resistance  and  wait  for  what 
will  turn  up.  The  energetic  ones  may  forge  ahead, 
but  even  they  are  dependent  on  chance  for  the  op- 
portunity to  show  their  abilities,  and  when  they  see 
that  untrained  girls  can  compete  on  an  equal  basis  with 
their  knowledge  and  experience,  their  ambition  dies  a 
slow  but  certain  death. 

Better  organization,  definite  lines  of  promotion,  and 
vocational  direction  must  keep  pace  with  the  individual 
development  or  all  enthusiasm  will  die  out  and  leave 
the  saleswoman  in  her  old  state  of  apathy. 


Part  II  — Salesmanship  Training 


FOREWORD 

In  order  to  understand  the  courses  suggested  for 
training  salespeople  it  is  necessary  to  review  the  quah- 
fications  essential  to  good  salesmanship.  Part  II, 
therefore,  begins  with  a  short  discussion  of  this  sub- 
ject. 

The  suggested  short  course  for  apprentice  sales- 
people corresponds  to  the  work  which  is  now  given  in 
a  number  of  stores.  The  comprehensive  study  of  de- 
partments and  the  organization  of  a  system  which  will 
meet  their  needs  are  also  outlined  ;  this  is  a  much  larger 
and  more  difficult  task.  It  can  be  achieved,  however, 
even  under  present  business  conditions,  if  the  director 
receives  the  full  co-operation  of  the  store  management 
and  adequate  assistance  in  her  work. 

The  limited  success  attained  by  conferences  and  effi- 
ciency methods  is  also  discussed  and  explained.  The 
director  must,  in  her  constructive  work,  meet  the  need 
for  broader  educational  foundations,  which  include 
knowledge  of  merchandise,  of  customers,  and  of  the 
process  of  selling  which  salespeople  do  not  now  pos- 
sess. 

37 


Chapter  IV 

QUALIFICATIONS  FOR  SALESMANSHIP 

The  Primary  Consideration 

The  most  important  duty  of  the  educational  di- 
rector is  the  improvement  of  salesmanship  in  the 
store.  All  things  are  secondary  to  this  main  purpose. 
She  must  therefore  consider,  in  her  educational  plan, 
two  points  :  First,  what  are  the  qualifications  for  suc- 
cessful salesmanship?  Second,  to  what  extent  can 
they  be  developed  by  training? 

Confusion  as  to  Necessary  Qualities 

Educational  directors  themselves  are  often  confused 
both  as  to  the  qualifications  needed  for  good  salesman- 
ship and  as  to  their  relative  importance.  Almost  any 
store  manager  can  enumerate  the  qualities  of  a  success- 
ful salesman,  but  the  requirements  are  all  jumbled  in 
a  heap  of  primary  and  secondary  qualities,  and  when 
any  analysis  has  been  made  of  personal  qualifications 
of  saleswomen  the  analysis  has  shown  the  same  con- 
fusion of  ideas.  For  this  reason  the  training  of  sales- 
people has  been  as  unstandardized  as  their  occupation 
itself. 

39 


40  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

Three  Factors  in  Salesmanship 

There  are  three  factors  in  good  salesmanship  which 
may  be  defined  broadly  as : 

1.  Natural  ability 

2.  Mental  training  and  knowledge 

3.  Moral  qualities  which  make  for  good  store  ser- 

vice 

A  further  analysis  of  these  qualifications  might  be 
made  as  follows: 

A.  Natural  ability  includes : 
I. 


Attractive  personality 

(a) 

Good  health  and  vitality 

(b) 

Erect  carriage 

(c) 

Pleasant  expression 

(d) 

Pleasant  voice 

(e) 

Alertness  and  energy 

Temperament 

(a) 

Cheerfulness 

(b) 

Self-confidence 

(c) 

Enthusiasm 

(d) 

Initiative 

(e) 

Ambition 

Menta: 

1  qualities 

(a) 

Imagination 

(b)   Judgment 

(c) 

Tact 

QUALIFICATIONS  FOR  SALESMANSHIP         41 

(d)  Poise 

(e)  Ability  to  talk  well 

(f)  Interest  in  selling 

B.  Mental  training  and  knowledge  includes : 

1.  General  education 

(a)  Arithmetic 

(b)  English 

(c)  General  information 

2.  Vocational  education 

(a)   Knowledge  of : 

Store  system  and  policies 
Stock 
Customers 

The  process  of  selling 
Relationship   of   saleswomen  to 
department  and  store 

C.  Store  service  includes : 

1.  Obedience  to  rules 

(a)  Courtesy 

(b)  Promptness 

(c)  Carefulness 

(d)  Attention  to  store  service 

2.  Loyalty  to  the  store 

(a)  Honesty 

(b)  Faithfulness 

(c)  Co-operation 


42  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

The  Importance  of  an  Effective  Personality 

A  positive  and  effective  personality  is  the  best  asset 
for  good  salesmanship.  Someone  has  well  said  that 
personality  is  another  expression  for  surplus  power, 
either  physical,  mental,  or  spiritual.  Physical  surplus 
depends  upon  good  health;  mental  surplus  is  the 
product  of  an  active,  well-informed  mind ;  and  spiritual 
surplus  is  finer  than  either,  yet  somewhat  dependent 
upon  both. 

Health 

Good  health  is  an  absolute  necessity  for  continued 
success  in  selling.  The  nervous,  anaemic  saleswoman 
cannot  impress  her  customer  favorably  and  cannot 
stand  the  strain  of  department  store  work. 

The  demands  are  heavy,  although  not  more  severe 
than  those  of  many  other  occupations.  Care  must  be 
taken  of  the  digestion,  feet,  sleep,  and  exercise,  but 
with  such  care  an  ordinarily  healthy  woman  can  live 
many  years  under  the  constant  grind  without  breaking 
down.  The  principal  strain  is  upon  the  nerves,  which 
are  affected  by  the  constant  crowds,  the  confusion,  and 
the  unreason,  the  lack  of  consideration,  and  the  haste 
of  customers. 

While  the  health  of  the  salesforce  is  not  usually 
considered  the  special  responsibility  of  the  educational 


QUALIFICATIONS  FOR  SALESMANSHIP        43 

director,  its  importance  is  so  great  that  she  should 
make  it  her  first  concern.  The  physical  and  mental 
reactions  of  erect  carriage,  pleasant  expression,  and  a 
gentle  voice  should  be  impressed  on  those  who  have 
never  before  been  asked  to  consider  these  important 
assets. 

Mental  Training 

Mental  surplus  power  may  be  secured,  in  the  first 
place,  by  developing  the  natural  strength  of  the  mind, 
and  in  the  second  place,  by  adding  to  its  store  of  knowl- 
edge. 

Some  traits  which  may  be  classified  under  natural 
ability  seem  almost  incapable  of  development  in  those 
who  are  without  them.  Among  these  are  originality, 
confidence,  and  a  sense  of  humor,  but  even  these  do 
sometimes  appear  in  apparently  hopeless  cases.  Con- 
fidence, for  instance,  is  developed  by  a  sense  that  the 
saleswoman  is  really  better  informed  about  this  one 
thing  than  the  superior  customer  who  tries  to  overawe 
her.  It  is  always  easier  to  be  courteous  to  the  person 
of  whom  we  are  not  secretly  afraid. 

The  faults  of  saleswomen  are,  in  fact,  largely  on  the 
negative  side.  When  they  are  not  the  result  of  care- 
lessness they  usually  arise  from  ignorance  or  timidity. 
The  educational  director  must  encourage  more  than 
she  criticizes.     She  must  not  only  suggest  the  right 


44  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

path,  but  either  directly  or  indirectly  make  that  path 
easy  to  follow. 

Real  education  recognizes  natural  ability  and  seeks 
to  develop  it,  though  such  a  process  among  adults  is 
necessarily  slow.  The  right  sort  of  knowledge  puts  a 
firm  foundation  beneath  the  feet  of  the  student  and 
changes  her  attitude  toward  the  purely  mechanical 
or  incidental  factors  of  store  service.  The  director's 
teaching  should  develop  attention,  curiosity,  enthu- 
siasm, sportsmanship,  reliability,  and  self-criticism. 

The  Cultivation  of  the  Power  of  Attention 

Charles  Dickens  says  attention  is  the  "  one  safe,  sure, 
serviceable,  remunerative  quality.  It  will  grow  in  the 
poorest  soil  and  bud,  blossom,  and  bear  the  golden  fruit 
of  Paradise."  Voluntary  attention  is  so  difficult  for 
the  untrained  mind  that  the  director  must  coax  it  along 
by  constantly  stimulating  curiosity  until  the  subject 
grips  of  itself. 

Arousing  Curiosity 

The  kind  of  curiosity  that  leads  to  right  understand- 
ing can  be  inspired  in  salespeople  by  the  way  in  which 
both  merchandise  and  salesmanship  are  introduced  to 
them.  Enthusiasm  will  come  with  growing  interest  in 
the  work,  but  sportsmanship  is  harder  to  secure  and 
that  is  something  which  the  good  saleswoman  needs. 


QUALIFICATIONS  FOR  SALESMANSHIP        45 

Sportsmanship  in  selling  —  throwing  herself  heartily 
into  each  sale,  but  reacting  quickly  as  a  good  loser  when 
she  is  unsuccessful  —  and  sportsmanship  in  the  depart- 
ment where  she  is  meeting  with  difficulties  of  some 
other  person's  making,  are  essential. 

Willingness  to  Take  Responsibility 

It  is  much  harder  to  train  the  force  in  reliability  and 
willingness  to  take  responsibility.  All  larger  concerns 
give  plenty  of  opportunity  to  slip  out  of  responsibility 
unless  each  person's  duties  are  sharply  defined  and  each 
subordinate  is  responsible  to  one  superior.  The  organ- 
ization of  the  department  store  is  particularly  loose  and 
there  are  many  loopholes  and  leakages. 

Constructive  Self-Criticism 

Self-criticism  is  a  form  of  checking  up  which  should 
be  encouraged  so  long  as  it  i^  healthy  and  practical. 
Some  timid  or  morbid  people  indulge  in  a  kind  of  self- 
analysis  that  prevents  them  from  doing  their  best  work. 
They  are  discouraged  because  they  cannot  do  things  in 
the  way  in  which  some  more  vital  and  aggressive  ac- 
quaintance does  them,  and  so  they  are  afraid  to  ven- 
ture into  any  new  fields.  The  self-criticism  which  is 
constructive  and  helpful  analyzes  such  an  incident  as  a 
lost  sale,  and  tries  to  discover  the  weak  spot  in  order 
to  overcome  it  next  time.     Salespeople  need  this  stimu- 


46  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

lus  in  order  to  counteract  their  tendency  to  fatalism 
and  belief  in  luck. 

Imagination,  Judgment,  Tact,  and  Poise 

How  are  these  four  most  valuable  qualities  to  be 
developed?  Perhaps  they  are  not  so  difficult  as  some 
of  the  more  temperamental  ones.  Imagination  and 
judgment  are  in  part  due  to  natural  endowment,  but 
also  depend  very  largely  upon  an  environment  in  which 
the  imagination  may  spread  its  wings  and  upon  oppor- 
tunities for  making  quick  decisions.  The  director 
should  keep  these  qualities  ever  in  mind  and  provide  at 
least  the  opportunities  for  their  exercise  in  her  course 
of  study.  If  tact  and  poise  are  not  cultivated  early, 
they  must  result  from  other  development,  since  they 
cannot  be  artificially  created. 

Self-Control 

The  salesperson  especially  needs  a  "  mind  disciplined 
and  a  character  trained  in  self-control,"  for  she  is  deal- 
ing with  men  and  women  of  many  kinds  and  tem- 
peraments. These  customers  must  be  treated  as  the 
store's  guests  even  if  they  do  not  show  the  courtesy 
expected  from  guests. 

The  self-control  of  the  salesperson  may  unfortu- 
nately degenerate  into  self-suppression  which  destroys 
her  effectiveness  so  that  the  director  must  never  forget 


QUALIFICATIONS  FOR  SALESMANSHIP        47 

the  importance  of  building  up  an  active  personality 
behind  the  control.  Personality  is  an  invaluable  asset 
in  anyone  who  would  influence  other  people,  and  per- 
sonality depends  on  activity  of  mind  and  body. 

Imparting  Definite  Knowledge 

Besides  the  cultivation  of  attention,  enthusiasm,  and 
the  other  fundamentals  of  salesmanship,  the  director's 
task  is  to  impart  definite  knowledge  to  the  salespeople. 
Knowledge  is  but  a  means  to  an  end  in  her  case,  as  no 
amount  of  knowledge  is  of  any  use  to  the  salesperson 
who  does  not  apply  it  to  the  making  of  a  sale.  Never- 
theless, instruction  is  the  ladder  by  which  salespeople 
must  be  helped  to  climb  to  efficiency. 

It  is  illogical  to  expect  quick  results  in  changing  the 
habits  of  mind  or  the  characteristics  of  grown  people, 
but  they  can  be  given  a  large  fund  of  information,  and 
knowledge  is  the  foundation  of  many  of  the  qualities 
necessary  for  salesmanship.  Girls  and  women  are  not 
usually  so  much  interested  in  the  psycholog}^  of  a  sale 
as  men  are,  but  they  have  a  more  spontaneous  interest 
in  the  things  they  sell,  especially  in  all  the  feminine 
lines  of  a  department  store.  This  interest  can  be  stim- 
ulated to  a  marked  degree  by  increasing  their  knowl- 
edge of  the  sources  and  methods  of  manufacture  of 
their  merchandise ;  such  information  contributes  to  tlie 
effectiveness  of  almost  every  sale. 


48  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

Intelligent  selling  will  win  permanent  customers. 
The  number  of  people  who  can  give  that  kind  of  help- 
ful service  is  so  small  that  they  are  remembered  and 
sought  out  on  all  possible  occasions. 

Knowledge  would  be  placed  first  among  the  require- 
ments for  good  salesmanship  if  our  standards  were  not 
so  low  that  a  great  deal  of  what  we  call  salesmanship 
is  only  counter-serving.  The  customer  who  knows 
what  she  wants  goes  to  a  counter  where  it  may  be 
found,  asks  the  price  and  pays  it,  the  goods  are  handed 
to  her,  and  she  leaves  the  store  a  satisfied  customer. 
She  has  simply  satisfied  herself  and  an  automatic 
machine  could  have  served  her  just  as  well. 

The  Information  Necessary  for  Real  Salesmanship 

Real  salesmanship  consists  in  something  more  than 
a  combination  of  courtesy  and  psychology.  It  is  based 
on  three  kinds  of  information  : 

1.  Knowledge  of  the  merchandise. 

2.  Knowledge  of  the  customer  and  her  wants. 

3.  Knowledge  of  the  process  of  selling. 

The  saleswoman  should  know  more  about  the  goods 
than  the  customer  does,  unless  the  customer  is  an  ex- 
pert in  that  particular  line.  In  any  case  the  salesperson 
should  have  a  fund  of  information  about  all  her 
merchandise  which  gives  her  a  sense  of  confidence 


QUALIFICATIONS  FOR  SALESMANSHIP        49 

and  makes  the  purchaser  willing  to  accept  her  advice. 
What  are  called  "  suggestive  sales,"  unless  they  are 
based  on  accurate  information  as  to  the  merchandise 
and  good  judgment  as  to  the  customer's  wants,  may 
result  in  selling  the  wrong  goods  to  the  wrong  person. 
Initiative  and  tactfulness  are  most  valuable  assets  if  the 
salesperson  can  gage  the  situation  rightly,  but  a  sale 
which  proves  unsatisfactory  to  the  purchaser  reflects 
the  greater  discredit  if  it  has  been  pushed  along  by 
tactful  suggestion  and  good  "  salesmanship  "  as  it  is 
generally  understood.  Again,  though  the  higher 
priced  goods  often  prove  the  best  bargain,  the  sales- 
person should  give  only  the  relative  points  and  leave 
the  customer  to  make  her  own  decision. 

Store  Rules 

The  requirements  of  good  store  service  should  be 
laid  upon  all  employees.  They  depend  only  on  the 
moral  qualities  of  earnestness  and  self-control  and  are 
within  the  reach  of  every  normal  person.  No  excuses, 
therefore,  should  be  allowed  for  marked  failure  at  any 
point.  The  director  should  call  as  often  as  possible  on 
the  reasoning  faculties  of  her  classes.  They  need  to 
be  taught  to  think  for  themselves.  Reasons  should  be 
given  and  required  for  the  observance  of  store  rules 
and  policies.  The  saleswoman  has  such  a  vague  idea 
of  her  relation  to  the  store,  that  a  review  of  store  or- 


50  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

ganization  and  management  should  be  given  frequently, 
so  that  she  may  have  a  sense  of  the  general  machinery 
and  of  her  important  part  in  it. 

The  apparently  small  matters  of  store  service  are  not 
therefore  insignificant,  and  the  store  management  does 
well  to  insist  on  the  observance  of  rules  which  make  for 
efficiency  and  the  comfort  of  its  patrons. 

Loyalty  to  the  best  interests  of  the  store,  faithful- 
ness in  small  as  well  as  great  matters,  and  co-operation 
between  all  the  different  parts  of  the  complicated  or- 
ganization will  be  evident  to  the  customers  as  well  as 
to  the  management.  Everyone  knows  whether  the 
people  behind  the  counters  are  in  earnest  or  sublimely 
indifferent. 

The  sharp  competition  in  selling  will  always  put  in- 
difference at  a  disadvantage,  and  now  that  competition 
has  shifted  from  undercutting  of  prices  to  giving  more 
efficient  and  satisfactory  service,  salespeople  cannot 
afford  to  give  passive  and  indifferent  attention. 


Chapter  V 

COURSES  OF  TRAINING  FOR 
SALESPEOPLE 

Various  Methods 

Courses  of  training  for  salespeople  should  be  as  defi- 
nite and  comprehensive  as  for  other  kinds  of  workers. 
At  present  they  are  but  a  collection  of  expedients  and 
experiments,  as  department  store  salesmanship  is  still 
an  unstandardized  occupation  and  neither  the  employer, 
the  salesperson,  nor  the  public  have  a  definite  idea  of 
its  requirements. 

Up  to  the  present  time  three  methods  have  been  em- 
ployed. Each  has  some  good  points,  but  no  one  of  the 
three  is  at  all  adequate  to  cope  with  the  situation.  The 
three  methods  may  be  called  the  inspirational  method, 
the  efficiency  method,  and  the  general  salesmanship 
method. 

The  Inspirational  Method 

The  inspirational  method  was  the  earliest  one  in  use 
and  is  still  a  popular  plan.  According  to  this  method, 
the  salespeople  are  called  together  in  large  groups  for 

SI 


52  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

conferences.  Sometimes  these  groups  include  also 
buyers  and  floormen ;  in  other  cases  they  are  composed 
of  salespeople  alone.  In  one  large  store  the  force  was 
divided  into  groups  representing  every  branch  of  store 
service.  Successive  groups  met  each  morning  to  re- 
ceive instruction  and  to  discuss  general  store  problems, 
such  as  the  results  of  errors,  suggestive  selling,  and 
matters  of  store  system.  Such  meetings  are  excellent 
as  a  means  of  getting  together,  but  their  influence  is  so 
general  and  is  spread  over  so  large  a  space  that  it  is 
difficult  to  measure  results. 

Sometimes  these  large  groups  are  given  a  course  of 
lectures  by  an  expert  in  salesmanship.  These  are  un- 
doubtedly of  permanent  value  to  some  of  the  groups, 
but  to  a  large  number  they  are  only  temporarily  stimu- 
lating. Such  lectures  must  be  followed  by  practical 
applications  and  checked  up  in  the  store  in  order  to  be 
generally  worth  while. 

Use  of  This  Method  by  the  Educational  Director 

The  educational  director  may  well  begin  her  work 
with  experienced  salespeople  by  one  or  two  such  lec- 
tures. They  serve  as  an  introduction  and  open  up  the 
subject  of  training  and  of  standards,  and  even  if  they 
excite  criticism  they  set  people  talking  and  thinking. 

No  lecture  should  be  given  before  an  audience  so  in- 
clined to  be  critical  without  most  careful  preparation. 


COURSES  OF  TRAINING  53 

The  lecturer  should  know  her  subject  thoroughly  and 
should  draw  concrete  illustrations  from  the  store.  She 
should  include  with  the  inspirational  material  a  sketch 
of  the  plans  by  which  she  expects  to  carry  out  her 
ideas. 

Conferences 

The  question  of  holding  regular  or  occasional  con- 
ferences thereafter  must  be  decided  by  the  director 
according  to  circumstances.  If  the  interest  is  great 
and  a  co-operative  plan  can  be  devised,  such  confer- 
ences will  be  invaluable.  They  can  be  made  the  basis 
of  all  the  social  and  educational  work  in  the  store  and 
they  will  provide  the  director  with  the  personal  contacts 
which  she  needs  for  her  own  guidance  in  her  various 
undertakings. 

If  permanent  gains  are  to  be  secured,  however,  there 
must  be  similarity  of  interests  and  a  definite  program 
of  work.  If  the  conference  is  only  another  dead 
weight  to  be  lifted  by  the  director's  own  enthusiasm 
and  another  drain  on  her  energies,  it  is  wiser  to  leave 
it  until  a  later  time  when  other  methods  have  devel- 
oped a  more  spontaneous  response.  The  time  and 
strength  of  the  director  must  be  conserved  and  not 
spread  over  too  much  ground  or  she  will  lose  her  own 
sense  of  proportion  and  become  discouraged  by  the  size 
of  her  task. 


54  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

The  Efficiency  Method 

Efficiency  methods  try  first  to  determine  scientifically 
what  the  sales  quota  of  each  salesperson  should  be  and 
then  to  give  him  the  necessary  drill  and  supervision  to 
attain  it.  This  method  may  be  combined  with  the  in- 
spirational conference  or  used  by  itself.  Some  stores 
have  adopted  efficiency  plans  which  are  considered 
more  or  less  successful,  but  their  success  depends  upon 
the  management  rather  than  upon  the  individual  sales- 
person or  any  department  group.  Though  these  meth- 
ods are  helpful  in  determining  what  the  quota  of  sales 
ought  to  be,  yet  they  are  often  misleading,  because  they 
first  prove  their  point  mathematically,  and  then  admit 
of  so  many  variables  absolutely  beyond  the  salesper- 
son's control  that  the  proof  is  worthless. 

Suppose,  for  instance,  that  the  sales  quota  has  been 
fixed  according  to  previous  experience  and  a  theoretic 
increase  in  business.  It  will  be  affected  so  materially 
by  weather,  advertising,  change  of  price  lines,  change 
of  fashions,  and  shifting  population  that  nothing  but 
an  approximation  can  be  made.  Within  the  depart- 
ment the  relative  position  of  salespeople  at  the  counter 
may  greatly  influence  the  size  of  their  books.  One 
may  be  stationed  nearer  the  more  expensive  or  more 
popular  goods  than  another  and  the  same  ability  and 
effort  will  thus  show  greater  results. 

Efficiency  methods  stimulate  the  salespeople  to  in- 


COURSES  OF  TRAINING  55 

creased  effort  if  there  is  a  definite  goal  and  an  assured 
return.  Sometimes  the  members  of  a  department  are 
encouraged  to  rival  each  other  in  a  contest  for  in- 
creased sales,  and  suggestion  sales  are  given  special 
attention  and  reward.  Members  of  one  department 
are  paired  off  with  those  of  other  departments  to  whom 
they  send  customers. 

The  chief  objection,  or  rather  limitation  to  these 
methods  is  that  they  are  all  in  the  nature  of  "  drives." 
They  will  be  very  effective  for  a  time,  but  cannot  be 
kept  up  as  a  permanent  system.  Real  efficiency  must 
be  based  on  sound  management  and  control,  good  or- 
ganization, elimination  of  waste,  and  intelligent  ser- 
vice. 

Store  Bulletins 

A  step  in  advance  of  the  inspirational  conference  for 
stimulating  salesmanship  and  otherwise  co-ordinating 
the  work  of  the  store  is  the  use  of  store  bulletins.  In 
Filene's  (Boston)  this  method  has  been  used  with  ex- 
cellent effect.  Numbered  and  dated  slips  were  issued 
with  such  topics  as : 

The  value  of  the  shopping  card. 
The  technique  of  good  selling. 
The  value  of  service. 

Timely  hints  as  to  making  the  most  of  the  month 
of  February  and  holiday  sales. 


56  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

The  store  used  various  methods  for  reaching  the 
salespeople  and  securing  a  record  which  showed  that 
they  had  seen  the  bulletin.  Sometimes  it  was  passed 
from  one  to  another  in  a  department  and  signed  by  each 
one.  The  floor  superintendent  was  usually  made  re- 
sponsible for  this,  and  for  any  explanations  which 
might  be  necessary.  An  effort  was  always  made  to  see 
that  the  information  was  really  understood  and  ap- 
plied. 

The  writer  used  the  bulletin  plan  to  formulate  and 
preserve  the  points  made  by  buyers  in  their  talks  to 
groups  of  salespeople.  The  lecture  was  first  given  to 
the  class  orally;  then  test  questions  were  given  requir- 
ing written  answers  from  the  salespeople;  finally  the 
bulletin  was  drawn  up  embodying  the  principal  points 
of  the  lecture  and  the  results  of  the  test.  Two  of  the 
sample  bulletins  used  in  this  store  are  given  in  the 
Appendix. 

General  Salesmanship  Method 

The  third  and  most  successful  of  these  tentative 
methods  consists  of  what  may  be  called  general  sales- 
manship classes.  These  classes  are  made  up  of  se- 
lected salespeople  from  different  parts  of  the  store,  who 
are  given  a  course  in  salesmanship,  store  system,  and 
textiles.     They    are    very    successful    in    raising    the 


COURSES  OF  TRAINING  57 

standards  of  the  individual  and  in  time  have  a  wide 
influence  in  the  store. 

The  best  example  of  training  for  selected  employees 
is  found  in  the  "  House  of  Sel fridge  "  in  London. 
(Mr,  Sel  fridge  is  an  American  who  has  become  a 
leader  in  London  retailing.)  Courses  of  systematic 
commercial  education  have  been  established  from  the 
beginning  for  the  salespeople  in  this  store.  The 
courses  commence  with  first  principles  and  proceed 
through  all  the  theory  and  practice  of  modern  mer- 
chandising. Everything  is  done  to  stimulate  ambition, 
and  the  students  have  every  opportunity  of  fitting 
themselves  for  leading  places  in  the  world  of  com- 
merce. Among  other  things  promising  students  may 
win  traveling  scholarships,  which  enable  them  to  go 
abroad  with  their  respective  buyers  to  study  markets 
and  manufacturing  centers  on  the  Continent.  The 
"  Embryo  Club  "  is  an  organization  to  which  the  most 
successful  students  may  gain  membership.  It  gives 
its  members  special  opportunities  for  studying  details 
of  organization,  finance,  and  general  executive  subjects. 
The  knowledge  of  these  opens  the  road  to  the  highest 
positions  of  responsibility  in  commercial  houses. 

Fundamental  Basis  of  Courses 

But  although  the  gains  from  this  selective  training 
have  been  considerable,  the  only  really  effective  way  of 


58  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

improving  conditions  is  through  the  improvement  of 
all  the  salesforce  through  systematic  training. 

The  first  of  the  three  methods  described  is  inadequate 
because  it  is  too  general  and  unsystematic.  The  effi- 
ciency methods  are  in  the  nature  of  a  speeding-up 
process.  The  bulletin  or  general  salesmanship 
methods  are  not  sufficiently  thorough  and  comprehen- 
sive. 

According  to  the  analysis  of  salesmanship  qualifica- 
tions made  in  Chapter  IV,  there  are  three  lines  along 
which  the  training  of  salespeople  should  be  given :  ( i ) 
the  development  of  personal  characteristics,  (2)  in- 
struction in  merchandise,  and  (3)  instruction  in  sales- 
manship. The  first  must  come  as  a  by-product.  One 
cannot  teach  energy  or  initiative  or  decision  of  char- 
acter. The  course  should,  however,  aim  to  develop 
these  desirable  characteristics  by  suggestion  and  prac- 
tical tests. 

Constructive  Plan 

The  plan  of  the  educational  director  should  be  in- 
clusive enough  to  cover  the  ground  so  far  as  the  re- 
quirements for  successful  salesmanship  are  concerned, 
and  they  should  be  available  to  all  the  salesforce  that  is 
considered  permanent  and  valuable  to  the  store.  These 
considerations  bring  her  back  to  the  three  kinds  of 
knowledge   which    are    needed:    knowledge    of    mer- 


COURSES  OF  TRAINING  59 

chandise,  knowledge  of  customers,  and  knowledge  of 
the  process  of  selling.  The  first  grand  division  of  the 
course,  therefore,  must  be  merchandise. 

The  prevailing  ignorance  of  their  merchandise  on 
the  part  of  department  store  salespeople  is  one  of  the 
gravest  causes  of  inefficiency.  They  neither  know  the 
values  and  qualities  of  the  goods  they  sell,  nor  how  to 
present  them  to  the  customer  in  an  attractive  way.  In 
covering  this  field  the  study  of  textiles  is  far  from 
adequate.  One-half  or  more  than  half  of  the  depart- 
ments deal  with  non-textile  materials,  such  as  metals, 
clay,  glass,  rubber,  and  leather. 

Merchandise  Courses 

The  study  of  any  departmental  stock  should  include : 

1.  Materials  of  which  department  merchandise  is 

made. 

2.  Processes  of  manufacture. 

3.  Qualities  and  characteristics. 

4.  Styles,  kinds,  and  sizes  —  staples  and  novelties. 

5.  Color  and   design   as  applied   to   merchandise 

studied. 

6.  Commercial  knowledge  —  selling  points. 

The  Salesmanship  Courses 

The  course  in  salesmanship  may  be  summarized 
briefly  under  four  heads : 


6o  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

1.  Principles  of  salesmanship. 

2.  Analysis  of  stock  knowledge  as  applied  in  sell- 

ing. 

3.  Study  of  the  customer : 

(a)  Types  of  customers. 

(b)  Classification  of  customers. 

(c)  Psychology  of  customer. 

4.  Study  of  the  selling  process : 

(a)  Analysis  of  the  steps  in  a  sale. 

(b)  Analysis  of  suggestive  selling. 

Instruction  in  merchandise  and  in  salesmanship  can 
be  given  in  the  same  class,  but  the  two  subjects  are  so 
broad  that  they  are  usually  separated. 

An  effective  system  may  be  used  whereby  the  facts 
brought  out  in  the  merchandise  classes  may  be  empha- 
sized in  the  salesmanship  group  and  the  salespeople 
may  be  taught  how  to  use  their  knowledge  to  ad- 
vantage. The  scope  of  the  work  should  be  broadened 
to  include  general  topics  such  as : 

Relation  of  buyer  to  salespeople. 
Relation  of  floormen  to  salespeople. 
Knowledge  of  equipment  and  how  to  use  it. 
Care  and  arrangement  of  stock. 
Team-work  in  the  department. 

and  a  short  course  on  business  economics,  ethics,  and 
health. 


COURSES  OF  TRAINING  6l 

An  outline  like  the  above  looks  very  formidable  to 
the  new  store  director,  and  indeed  she  cannot  carry  on 
such  a  course  in  a  store  of  any  size  and  give  the  other 
necessary  help  to  junior  and  apprentice  employees  un- 
less she  has  one  or  more  assistants.  It  is  well,  how- 
ever, to  see  what  a  genuine  salesmanship  course  should 
include,  even  if  it  cannot  immediately  be  carried  out. 

Training  for  Salespeople  with  Special  Needs 

In  every  group  of  old  salespeople  some  will  be  found 
whose  elementary  education  is  so  limited  that  they  need 
instruction  in  arithmetic  and  English  in  order  to  be 
able  to  do  their  work  at  all  satisfactorily.  These  cases 
have  usually  been  discovered  by  the  errors  in  their 
sales  slips,  but  the  director  must  decide  whether  they 
can  profit  by  special  training  or  not.  They  should  not 
hold  back  a  general  group,  but  some  means  for  private 
instruction  or  drill  should  be  found.  Sometimes  the 
public  school  night  classes  may  be  utilized  for  them, 
and  nearly  all  cities  have  some  system  of  which  the 
store  may  take  advantage. 

Unusually  Promising  Salespeople 

The  training  of  particularly  bright  and  capable  peo- 
ple for  promotion  is  another  special  problem.  Such 
training  may  well  be  taken  on  the  employees'  own  time, 
but  the  store  may  need  their  services  so  much  that  it 


62  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

will  give  time  either  within  the  store  or  outside  of  it 
for  individual  instruction,  or  group  work.  It  is  very 
fascinating  and  productive  work  for  the  director,  but 
she  must  recognize  that  special  help  to  selected  indi- 
viduals will  not  raise  the  standard  of  salesmanship  in 
the  store.  Only  the  raising  of  the  "  average  "  sales- 
person will  do  it. 

The  director  should  not  permit  herself  to  be  drawn 
away  from  her  main  purpose  by  any  of  the  immediate 
needs  of  special  groups.  She  can  make  them  her  avo- 
cations, but  she  must  view  the  educational  plan  as  a 
whole  as  her  vocation  and  keep  her  sense  of  propor- 
tion. 

Schedules 

Such  a  course  as  the  one  outlined  has  been  tried  out 
and  been  particularly  successful  in  the  most  difficult 
task  —  the  teaching  of  merchandise.  For  an  average 
class  it  requires  not  less  than  twelve  weeks  with  two 
periods  a  w^eek  of  an  hour  and  a  quarter  each. 

This  arrangement  provides  for  three  classes  a  year, 
omitting  the  months  of  December,  July,  and  August. 
The  classes  should  be  held  the  first  hour  in  the  morn- 
ing, taking  precedence  in  time  of  all  classes  for  other 
groups,  as  these  salespeople  are  needed  in  their  depart- 
ments and  can  be  spared  only  at  the  time  when  cus- 
tomers are  few. 


COURSES  OF  TRAINING  63 

When  the  classes  are  discontinued,  especially  during 
the  month  of  December,  the  director  can  devote  the 
leisure  time  to  a  study  of  the  store  and  all  its  prob- 
lems. Defects  in  store  system  or  administration  and 
the  individual  abilities  of  salespeople  may  be  more 
clearly  seen  than  under  ordinary  conditions. 

Certification 

When  a  definite  course  is  completed,  a  certificate 
should  be  given  to  all  those  who  pass  the  tests  success- 
fully. Suggestive  test  questions  upon  the  merchandise 
of  two  different  departments  are  given  in  the  Appendix. 

Such  a  certificate  does  not  insure  that  the  student 
will  be  a  successful  salesperson,  but  it  should  be  given 
only  to  those  whose  department  work  is  satisfactory. 
Figure  i  shows  a  dinner  given  at  the  certification  of  a 
class  in  one  store. 

One  of  the  chief  values  of  such  recognition  is  the 
added  self-respect  which  the  holder  of  the  certificate 
feels,  and  the  added  dignity  which  it  gives  her  job. 
These  are  two  of  the  most  desirable  results  to  be 
achieved  by  any  course  of  training. 


Chapter  VI 

APPRENTICE  SALESPEOPLE  AND  JUNIOR 
EMPLOYEES 

Adapting  Instruction  to  the  Different  Grades  of  Sales- 
people 

Since  most  salespeople  are  "  made  and  not  born," 
and  courses  of  training  are  needed  by  all,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  distinguish  carefully  between  the  different 
classes  or  grades  of  workers  and  to  deliberate  upon 
and  experiment  with  the  various  studies  adapted  to 
their  requirements  and  intelligence. 

It  was  stated  in  Chapter  I  that  there  are  three  general 
classes  of  salespeople :  junior  employees,  apprentices, 
and  regular  department  salespeople.  Suitable  work 
must  be  found  for  each  group  and  the  lessons  must  be 
graded  and  related  so  that  the  educational  work  in  the 
store  may  form  a  coherent  and  progressive  whole. 
Before  the  regular  courses  outlined  in  Chapter  VII 
can  be  given  to  the  younger  and  newer  employees,  the 
director  must  arrange  some  special  work  for  them. 

The  Junior  Employees 

The  boys  and  girls  who  are  in  the  various  branches 

64 


APPRENTICES  AND  JUNIORS  65 

of  store  service  have  been  given  scant  attention  in  most 
stores.  The  teaching  of  these  young  people  is  not 
strictly  the  work  for  which  the  director  has  been  en- 
gaged, but  it  must  be  done  as  an  essential  preliminary 
to  the  education  of  older  employees.  The  director  has 
a  special  duty  and  responsibility  to  the  junior  em- 
ployees, for  among  them  she  will  find  splendid  material 
from  which  superior  salespeople  may  be  made.  The 
minds  of  the  children  are  plastic  and  receptive,  and 
they  usually  gain  more  from  vocational  instruction 
than  the  older  salespeople  do. 

The  younger  employees  of  the  store  include  messen- 
gers, stock  boys  and  girls,  markers,  "  special  "  and 
wagon  boys,  bundlers  or  wrappers,  cashier-wrappers. 
Among  their  number  are  some  boys  and  girls  with  ex- 
ceptional ability  for  merchandising.  They  should  be 
given  opportunity  for  advancement  as  fast  as  they  are 
ready  for  it,  but  such  brilliant  workers  usually  attract 
the  notice  of  their  superiors  anyway,  and  are  promoted. 
The  ones  who  are  slower  or  less  mature,  and  yet  who 
often  have  abilities,  may  very  easily  be  neglected  and 
so  miss  the  training  necessary  to  develop  them. 

Plan  of  Work 

Many  of  the  young  workers  are  deficient  in  common 
school  branches.  Wherever  the  continuation  school  is 
in  operation,  the  store  director  should  see  to  it  that  an 


66  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

instructor  is  installed  in  the  store  to  teach  English, 
arithmetic,  and  local  geography  at  least.  If  the  city 
or  town  has  no  continuation  schools,  the  store  can  well 
afford  to  make  some  special  arrangement  for  their 
instruction  at  its  own  expense.  The  vocational  in- 
struction necessary  should  rest  upon  a  solid  foundation 
of  academic  work,  but  may  be  closely  related  to  store 
problems. 

Arithmetic  can  be  taught  through  the  sales  check, 
the  invoice,  and  the  marking  system.  Suggestions  for 
w'ork  in  arithmetic  may  be  found  in  the  Appendix. 
English  should  include  the  spelling  of  merchandise 
terms  and  other  words  used  in  business.  Writing 
should  be  clear  and  business-like,  and  geography  should 
include  sources  of  merchandise  as  well  as  names  of 
streets.  The  four  or  five  hours  usually  given  to  this 
work  each  week  will  not  permit  much  besides  these 
points  unless  there  are  two  classes. 

If  practicable  it  is  wise  to  arrange  either  for  an 
occasional  longer  session  or  for  an  advanced  class  in 
order  to  study  textiles  and  other  materials,  the  store 
system,  and  other  more  directly  vocational  topics. 
Instruction  in  personal  hygiene  should  be  given  in 
every  class. 

The  director  should  give  some  of  her  personal  atten- 
tion to  the  young  people  in  these  classes  and  should  co- 
operate in  every  way  with  the  teacher,  whose  work  is 


APPRENTICES  AND  JUNIORS  67 

more  practical  and  detailed.  The  director  will  regard 
the  work  in  a  broader  way  and  can  make  suggestions 
from  a  fresh  angle.  She  will  need  to  know  the  boys 
and  girls  later,  and  may  have  a  very  definite  influence 
upon  their  behavior  and  ambition  as  they  progress  in 
the  store.  Moreover,  she  is  in  the  best  position  to 
make  the  line  of  promotion  clear  and  should  be  in 
touch  with  those  who  are  engaging  the  apprentice  sales- 
people. Suggestions  as  to  instruction  given  junior  em- 
ployees may  be  found  in  the  Appendix. 

The  Cashier  Wrappers 

The  cashier's  position  is  often  a  very  responsible  one 
and  offers  a  good  preparation  for  higher  positions. 
The  cashier  can  check  errors  or  omissions  more  readily 
than  anyone  who  is  handling  the  general  business. 
She  often  has  the  list  of  coin  numbers  so  that  pack- 
ages may  be  delivered  without  calling  the  aisle  man- 
ager. A  girl  who  has  been  in  the  marking  and  stock- 
rooms and  has  spent  a  short  time  at  the  cashier's  desk 
has  the  best  preparation  for  salesmanship  in  her  knowl- 
edge of  store  system,  stocks,  and  customers. 

In  some  cases,  however,  she  may  not  be  interested 
in  selling  and  then  she  should  go  from  the  cashier's 
desk  to  the  accounting  or  mail-order  department.  The 
educational  director  should  constitute  herself  a  "  rout- 
ing clerk  ''  for  these  young  employees,  helping  them  on 


68  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

their  way  and  also  directing  them  at  the  proper  time 
into  the  path  where  they  ought  to  go. 

The  instruction  of  junior  employees  should  not  all 
be  prosaic  and  "  down  to  business."  These  children 
have  missed  much  of  the  cultural  side  of  life  as  well 
as  some  of  their  playtime.  They  should  find  in  their 
daily  store  experience  all  that  it  is  possible  to  crowd 
in. 

Apprentice  Salespeople 

There  is  one  general  salesmanship  problem  which  is 
always  special  and  that  is  the  new  salesperson.  The 
demands  of  business  are  of  such  a  nature  that  the  store 
is  constantly  adding  to  its  forces  those  who  have  had 
little  or  no  preparation  for  their  work,  and  these  new 
"  apprentices  "  cannot  meet  even  the  modest  demands 
made  upon  them  without  a  short  general  course. 

These  new  employees  in  the  department  have  always 
received  some  general  attention  and  short  courses  have 
been  planned  for  them.  The  following  outline,  though 
it  is  very  inadequate  as  a  training  for  salesmanship,  is 
given  here  because  it  shows  how  the  principles  involved 
can  be  applied  to  a  condensed  and  general  plan,  and  also 
indicates  that  the  broader  scheme  is  merely  the  logical 
development  of  what  has  already  been  recognized  as  a 
necessary  order  of  study. 

This  work  for  the  apprentices  is  not  the  main  work 


APPRENTICES  AND  JUNIORS  69 

of  the  educational  director,  but  it  is  very  important 
since  it  represents  in  abbreviated,  sketchy  form  what 
should  be  done  for  the  regular  salesforce.  If  the 
courses  are  well-planned  and  ably  carried  out  with 
proper  perspective,  they  will  lead  to,  and  make  easier, 
the  development  of  the  work  for  the  older  people. 

Discussion  of  Work  with  New  Salespeople 

One  of  the  early  plans  of  the  director  should  be  the 
gathering  of  all  the  new  salespeople  in  groups  for  such 
a  course.  The  topics  for  discussion  are  naturally  such 
subjects  as : 

Store  system. 
The  sales  check. 
Store  policies  and  rules. 

Principles  of  salesmanship  and  personal  charac- 
teristics. 
Knowledge  of  merchandise  and  of  customers. 

The  girl  or  boy  who  has  reached  an  aisle  table,  or 
even  a  higher  position  in  the  selling  force,  from  the 
stock-room  or  cashier's  desk,  begins  with  a  knowledge 
of  store  organization,  rules,  and  policies. 

Such  salespeople  have  a  decided  advantage  over 
those  who  begin  their  store  work  behind  the  counter. 
Their  ideas  of  business  and  business  methods  may  be 
crude  and  limited,  but  they  are  practical  and  to  the 


yo  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

point.  A  salesman  without  this  experience  starts  with 
a  handicap  which  sometimes  lasts  long  enough  to  affect 
seriously  his  interest  and  ambition. 

If  it  is  practicable  to  classify  the  groups  into  those 
who  have  had  previous  store  experience  and  those  who 
have  not,  they  may  be  handled  more  efficiently,  but  this 
is  not  essential  as  the  most  familiar  and  common  rou- 
tine has  often  escaped  the  notice  of  many  who  should 
know  it  by  heart. 

Discussions  of  store  policies  and  rules  with  simple, 
clear  explanations  will  go  far  toward  creating  a  spirit 
of  co-operation.  In  large  store  organizations,  the  mili- 
tary system  has  been  almost  universal ;  obedience, 
rather  than  reason,  is  required.  Unexplained  rules 
often  arouse  in  salespeople  the  kind  of  perversity  which 
is  excited  in  school  children  by  the  same  system.  This 
is  one  of  the  high  walls  of  misunderstanding  which  it 
is  the  educational  director's  business  to  break  down. 

Introduction  to  Salesmanship 

The  group  should  spend  a  considerable  part  of  their 
time  on  the  principles  of  salesmanship,  illustrated  oc- 
casionally by  a  demonstration  sale,  but  more  often  by 
the  discussion  of  concrete  cases  which  the  new  sales- 
woman is  always  ready  to  give.  Such  discussions 
may,  of  course,  easily  drop  into  "  swapping  "  stories 
with  very  little  value  either  to  the  teller  of  the  experi- 


APPRENTICES  AND  JUNIORS  71 

ences  or  her  hearers.     The  director,  therefore,  should 
have  an  outhne  which  must  be  f ollow  ed  ;  for  example : 

Success  or  failure  with  undecided  customers. 

Reasons  for  such  success  or  failure. 

Sales  made  through  some  unusual  method  adopted 
by  salesperson. 

Value  of  stock  knowledge;  of  knowledge  of  cus- 
tomers. 

Suggestion  sales. 

Lost  sales,  with  reasons. 

Effect  of  team-work  among  salespeople. 

Sometimes  a  single  experience  will  bring  out  a  num- 
ber of  important  points.  At  other  times  four  or  five 
short  descriptions  of  different  sales  will  make  one  point 
clear.  The  director  will  gain  so  much  from  the  right 
handling  of  these  discussions  that  she  should  prepare 
for  them  carefully  and  check  them  up  afterward,  just 
as  she  wants  the  salesperson  to  criticize  a  sale. 

An  occasional  written  review  of  such  points  is  essen- 
tial. Salespeople  are  not  used  to  expressing  their  ideas 
in  writing,  so  that  the  director  will  find  some  of  the 
papers  very  crude  at  first.  She  must  not  become  dis- 
couraged, however,  for  she  is  helping  them  to  acquire 
the  two  valuable  habits  of  analysis  and  self-criticism. 
After  the  first  trial  the  ordeal  of  writing  things  down 
does  not  seem  so  terrible  and  many  salespeople  enjoy  it. 


'J2.  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

From  the  discussion  of  their  customers  it  is  not  hard 
to  lead  to  a  discussion  of  salesmanship  in  general. 
Personal  criticism  is  a  different  matter,  as  anyone 
resents  public  exposure  and  comment  on  his  faults. 
By  keeping  on  the  positive  side  and  showing  the  value 
of  such  traits  as  initiative,  cheerfulness,  decision,  self- 
control,  and  tact,  the  director  will  avoid  trouble. 
Otherwise  she  becomes  the  type  of  scolder  against 
whom  every  member  of  the  class  builds  a  protective 
fence. 

Health  Instruction 

Health  talks  should  be  given  to  these  groups  fre- 
quently. They  should  not  be  in  the  form  of  scientific 
lectures,  but  short,  simple  statements  about  food,  exer- 
cise, sleep,  shoes,  posture,  etc.,  as  related  to  health  and 
the  very  important  effect  of  health  upon  successful 
salesmanship.  A  good  plan  is  to  give  ten  or  fifteen 
minutes  to  a  health  topic  every  time  that  the  class 
meets. 

If  possible  these  talks  should  be  given  by  a  doctor 
or  trained  nurse.  Many  stores  have  a  nurse  in  atten- 
dance who  would  be  only  too  glad  to  do  some  con- 
structive teaching  in  addition  to  the  care  of  headaches 
and  other  disabilities  which  she  knows  might  be  pre- 
vented. If  the  store  is  fortunate  enough  to  have  a 
physical  director  for  gymnasium  or  athletic  work,  he 


APPRENTICES  AND  JUNIORS  73 

is  the  person  to  describe  the  virtues  which  are  to  be 
derived  from  exercise. 

The  director  herself  may  not  be  a  physical  or  medi- 
cal expert,  but  she  can  always  emphasize  the  necessitv 
for  good  health  in  successful  salesmanship  and  she  can 
encourage  the  formation  of  athletic  and  gymnasium 
clubs  or  swimming  classes,  or  the  arrangement  of  half- 
holiday  walking  trips.  All  the  health  lectures  in  the 
world  are  of  no  use  unless  the  bad  habits  of  excessive 
cofifee-  and  tea-drinking  are  given  up  and  good  habits 
regarding  exercise,  fresh  air,  and  sensible  diet  are 
formed. 

Length  of  Course 

These  groups  of  apprentice  salespeople  are  con- 
stantly changing.  As  in  all  occupations,  the  newer 
employees  are  far  more  apt  to  leave  or  to  be  dropped 
than  the  older  ones.  Spring,  fall,  and  holiday  sales 
bring  in  much  new  material  and  even  in  the  dullest 
times  the  labor  turnover  is  large  enough  to  mean  some 
shifting.  The  courses  of  training  must  be  short  and 
general.  A  six  weeks'  term  beginning  about  the  mid- 
dle of  September  with  classes  meeting  at  least  twice 
each  week,  or  for  a  shorter  period  three  or  four  times 
a  week,  will  serve  the  main  purpose  of  the  course  for 
those  who  are  expected  to  remain  as  regular  members 
of  the  force. 


74  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

Classes  for  the  Holiday  Trade 

When  the  holiday  trade  begins  a  change  of  plan  must 
be  made.  The  new  people  who  are  taken  on  at  this 
time  are  often  from  the  ''  contingent  force,"  or  from  a 
shifting  and  unsatisfactory  type.  Though  they  are 
apt  to  be  transient  they  must  not  be  allowed  to  pull 
down  the  standard  of  the  store.  A  very  short  inten- 
sive course  should  be  given  requiring  attendance  every 
day  for  a  week  after  the  new  employee  is  engaged. 
The  program  can  be  so  arranged  that  the  necessary 
subjects  are  covered  in  that  time  and  a  new  salesperson 
may  enter,  after  the  preliminary  drill  on  the  sales 
check,  at  any  point  in  the  course. 

All  other  class  instruction  must  be  discontinued  dur- 
ing the  month  of  December,  but  this  class  should  be 
held  in  spite  of  the  pressure  and  hurry  of  the  Christ- 
mas trade.  In  fact,  just  because  of  this  pressure, 
classes  for  apprentices  are  necessary  and  will  save  a 
great  many  losses  through  preventable  errors  and  mis- 
management. The  session  should  be  not  more  than 
half  or  three-quarters  of  an  hour  long,  but  the  director 
should  be  on  hand  fifteen  minutes  earlier  to  answer 
questions  and  give  personal  help.  Each  lesson  must  be 
intensely  practical,  covering  the  store  system,  the  care 
of  stock,  suggestion  sales,  errors,  and  care  of  one's 
health  when  under  strain,  though  each  store  will  have 
its  own  needs. 


APPRENTICES  AND  JUNIORS  75 

Such  classes  will  be  an  inspiration  to  the  young 
salesgirl  who  is  often  so  confused  by  her  first  experi- 
ence under  trying  conditions  that  she  is  a  dead  weight 
on  the  department  which  she  serves  and  is  too  discour- 
aged to  try  again. 

The  new  people  can  be  given  help  and  advice  after 
their  work  has  been  observed,  and  in  some  cases  a 
promising  salesman  or  saleswoman  may  be  found  who 
should  be  given  a  chance  to  work  into  the  permanent 
salesforce.  The  new  messengers,  cashiers,  and  wrap- 
pers also  need  some  intensive  training  and  observation, 
but  for  this  the  director  must  rely  on  assistance  from 
floormen  and  experienced  salespeople  who  are  asked  to 
co-operate  in  this  way  so  that  the  director  need  not  fol- 
low them  up  individually. 

Confidential  reports  each  night  may  be  the  basis  for 
brief  and  pointed  talks  to  this  younger  group,  but  the 
boys  and  girls  need  "  case  work  "  more  than  they  need 
lectures  and  they  are  not  likely  to  profit  much  by  gen- 
eral instructions. 


Chapter  VII 

THE  TEACHING  OF  MERCHANDISE 

The  Great  Need  for  Information  on  Merchandise 

The  department  store  exists  for  the  purpose  of  sell- 
ing many  kinds  of  merchandise,  yet  its  salespeople 
know  almost  nothing  about  the  goods.  The  criticism 
most  often  voiced  by  customers  is  not  that  they  have 
been  treated  discourteously,  but  that  they  could  not  get 
satisfactory  service  because  of  the  ignorance  of  those 
who  waited  upon  them.  As  the  result  of  experience 
and  in  spite  of  shining  exceptions,  many  customers 
simply  assume  that  salespeople  do  not  know  anything 
about  their  goods  and  cannot  be  expected  to.  If  an 
occasional  salesperson  is  found  who  is  really  well- 
informed,  it  is  not  due  to  the  system. 

The  reasons  for  this  ignorance  are  not  hard  to  find. 
Because  of  the  wide  range  of  the  goods  sold  and  the 
large  number  of  salespeople  and  their  low  level  of 
general  information,  the  task  has  seemed  so  huge  that 
little  effort  has  been  made  by  the  stores  or  by  anybody 
to  improve  conditions. 

A  manufacturer  requires  the  salesman  of  his  product 

76 


THE  TEACHING  OF  MERCHANDISE  JJ 

to  follow  it  through  the  various  stages  of  its  making, 
and  sometimes  places  him  under  the  direction  of  a  com- 
petent instructor  who  gives  him  both  oral  and  written 
tests  in  order  that  he  may  show  his  ability  to  describe 
the  processes  and  special  points. 

The  books  on  retail  salesmanship,  on  the  other  hand, 
give  scarcely  a  clue  as  to  the  manner  in  which  mer- 
chandise may  be  taught.  They  dwell  largely  on  the 
personal  qualifications  of  the  salesman,  give  some  at- 
tention to  the  customer  and  much  to  the  process  of 
selling,  but  their  suggestions  about  the  study  of  mer- 
chandise are  so  fragmentary  and  inadequate  that  they 
leave  salesperson  and  teacher  of  salesmanship  alike  at 
sea. 

Inadequacy  of  Sources  of  Information 

The  present  facilities  for  such  study  are  meager 
when  compared  with  the  field  of  knowledge  to  be  cov- 
ered. There  are  trade  papers  which  give  many  excel- 
lent points  and  specialized  information,  but  they  are 
not  designed  to  be  text-books  and  their  material  is  very 
fragmentary  and  unorganized.  Books  which  touch 
on  many  of  the  subjects  may  be  found  in  libraries  but 
they  are  not  written  for  salespeople  and  leave  many  im- 
portant questions  unanswered. 

Even  the  customer  has  been  drawn  upon  for  infor- 
mation.    Many   clever   salespeople  learn   about  their 


78  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

goods  from  their  customers,  but  this  source  of  knowl- 
edge is  an  unsatisfactory  one.  The  customer  may  or 
may  not  speak  with  authority.  She  may  have  poor 
taste  or  a  Hmited  knowledge  which  the  salesperson  has 
no  means  of  verifying.  Moreover,  a  customer  is 
prejudiced  by  her  own  interests  and  circumstances, 
while  a  salesperson  must  be  able  to  take  account  of  the 
wants  of  many  different  people  under  different  circum- 
stances. 

Standardized,  fundamental  knowledge  is  what  the 
salesperson  needs,  to  which  may  be  added  all  the 
knowledge  of  style,  variations,  and  commercial  points 
that  affect  the  cost  or  the  demand.  It  is  the  task  of 
the  educational  director  to  supply  such  knowledge  or 
at  least  to  make  a  beginning. 

Thus  far,  most  directors  have  compromised  on  the 
study  of  textiles.  This  is  a  major  subject  for  the  de- 
partment store,  since  textile  merchandise  comprises 
from  a  third  to  nearly  half  of  the  goods  sold.  But 
even  the  merchandise  of  the  textile  departments  is  not 
adequately  covered  by  a  study  of  textiles  alone.  Each 
article  has  its  special  as  well  as  its  general  process  of 
manufacture,  and  the  selling  points  may  lie  in  these 
distinctive  facts  rather  than  in  the  general  processes  of 
spinning,  weaving,  and  the  like. 

Intelligent  directors  have  been  dissatisfied  with  this 
fragmentary   work,   but   anything  more   definite   has 


THE  TEACHING  OF  MERCHANDISE  79 

seemed  to  be  barred  by  two  insurmountable  difficulties : 
(i)  the  lack,  hitherto,  of  material  with  which  to  in- 
struct the  salespeople  in  a  systematic  way;  (2)  the  im- 
possibility of  calling  out  the  entire  force  of  one  de- 
partment during  business  hours. 

A  Successful  Experiment 

Both  of  these  difficulties  have  been  handled,  how- 
ever, with  a  considerable  measure  of  success  under  con- 
ditions which  were  far  from  favorable.  The  plan  is 
here  given  in  some  detail  as  a  suggestion  of  how  such 
a  course  may  be  worked  out.  The  opportunity  for  the 
first  experiment  was  given  in  a  large  metropolitan  store 
and  the  classes  included  in  all  about  3CX)  experienced 
salespeople. 

It  is  worth  noting:  (i)  that  the  store  management, 
since  nothing  of  the  kind  had  previously  been  at- 
tempted, was  at  first  doubtful  of  the  value  of  the 
course,  but  that  it  supported  the  experiment  with 
scrupulous  fairness;  (2)  that  the  salespeople,  after 
taking  the  course,  became  enthusiastic  in  its  favor. 

Preparatory  Measures 

The  first  step  was  the  analysis  of  a  number  of  de- 
partments in  order  to  see  the  relations  between  their 
merchandise  and  their  selling  conditions. 

The  second  step  was  the  grouping  of  departments  in 


8o  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

which  the  merchandise  and  selling  conditions  were 
similar. 

The  third  step  was  the  formation  of  a  class  which 
included  all  the  members  of  these  "  allied  depart- 
ments "  but  was  divided  into  three  sections,  as  one- 
third  of  the  department  seemed  to  be  the  greatest  num- 
ber that  could  be  spared  during  even  the  first  hour  in 
the  morning.  The  divisions  which  were  designated  as 
A,  B,  and  C  would  have  come  to  the  classroom  twice 
a  week,  but  Monday  was  the  day  for  store  sales  and 
was  therefore  reserved.  This  made  the  schedule  a  lit- 
tle complicated,  but  did  not  create  half  the  confusion 
that  was  feared. 

The  A  division  came  to  the  classroom  Tuesday  and 
Friday  of  the  first  week,  Wednesday  and  Saturday  of 
the  second,  and  Thursday  of  the  third.  The  B  divi- 
sion began  on  Wednesday  and  followed  A,  while  C  fol- 
lowed B.  By  means  of  little  slips  containing  the  dates 
for  a  month,  the  class  members  were  prevented  from 
making  mistakes  and  there  were  surprisingly  few  who 
forgot  the  date  and  hour  of  their  classes.  The  same 
lesson  was  given  to  each  of  the  three  divisions. 

At  first  certain  members  of  the  class  were  quite  re- 
sentful at  the  idea  of  "  going  to  school,"  but  the  spirit 
grew  more  cordial  with  each  succeeding  division  and 
the  fact  that  none  were  exempted  except  for  unavoid- 
able duties  prevented  any  invidious  criticism. 


u 


< 


ti. 


THE  TEACHING  OF  MERCHANDISE  8 1 

Figure  2  shows  a  typical  merchandise  class  in  ses- 
sion. 

The  Course  of  Study 

The  course  of  study  was  planned  in  each  case  to  suit 
the  departments  chosen.  As  there  were  then  no  text- 
books the  lessons  were  prepared  on  the  basis  of  the 
department  stocks.  From  these,  classified  lists  of  ma- 
terials and  processes  of  manufacture  were  made,  to- 
gether with  the  special  knowledge  required  by  the  sales- 
people. 

Textile  departments  were  taken  first  as  there  was 
more  material  to  be  obtained  on  that  subject,  but  the 
second  group  plunged  into  the  uncharted  sea  of  non- 
textile  merchandise.  This  was  the  real  test  of  the 
plan,  for  since  the  classes  w^ere  large  and  included 
seven  or  eight  departments  in  each,  it  w^as  impossible 
to  handle  them  in  exactly  the  same  way  as  a  textile 
group.  The  best  thing  that  could  be  done  was  to  find 
the  "  common  denominators." 

Among  these  the  more  common  materials  were  glass, 
rubber,  leather,  paper,  wood,  celluloid,  silver,  and  other 
metals.  Brief  studies  of  these  raw  materials  and  their 
manufacture  were  made  the  basis  of  general  class  in- 
struction. 

Fven  before  these  studies  were  completed  the  classes 
were  divided  into  smaller  groups  so  that  two  simul- 


S2  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

taneous  lessons  could  be  given  (by  two  teachers),  one 
on  a  general  topic  and  one  on  a  special  departmental 
subject.  The  two  teachers  then  exchanged  classes 
and  the  general  topic  was  repeated,  but  the  special  one 
was  changed  to  suit  the  new  group.  For  instance, 
leather  is  the  chief  material  used  in  the  leather  goods, 
shoe,  and  glove  departments,  but  it  is  also  of  interest 
to  salespeople  in  the  departments  in  which  stationery, 
jewelry,  and  toilet  articles  are  sold.  The  first  three 
needed  an  intensive  study  of  leather  and  special  studies 
of  bags,  shoes,  and  gloves;  the  latter  groups  needed 
some  knowledge  of  leather,  but  it  was  not  their  chief 
interest.  Leather  was  therefore  made  the  subject  of 
three  general  lessons  followed  by  much  more  definite 
work  by  the  first  three  groups.  Paper,  rubber,  and 
glass  were  each  given  in  the  same  way.  This  doubling 
up  was  also  aided  by  the  health  talks  and  salesmanship 
discussions  in  which  certain  sections  of  the  class  were 
engaged,  while  the  special  group  work  occupied  the  at- 
tention of  others. 

The  final  lessons  for  one  most  satisfactory  group  of 
salespeople  were  given  in  the  evening  after  dinner. 
Then  each  department  was  taken  by  itself  and  its  stock 
was  classified,  analyzed,  and  checked  as  to  its  values 
and  selling  points.  For  these  last  lessons  two  addi- 
tional teachers  were  called  in  and  the  subdivision  was 
made  as  complete  as  possible. 


THE  TEACHING  OF  MERCHANDISE  83 

Results 

It  must  be  stated  that  this  arrangement  was  a  series 
of  compromises.  No  member  of  the  teaching  staff 
(consisting  of  three  people)  thought  that  the  course 
was  as  thorough  as  it  should  have  been,  but  it  was  help- 
ful and  stimulating  to  a  wonderful  degree  and  it  pro- 
vided a  real  basis  of  information  from  which  those 
who  wanted  to  learn  their  merchandise  more  thor- 
oughly might  go  on  to  expert  salesmanship.  At  the 
close  each  member  of  the  class  who  had  completed  the 
course  received  a  certificate  stating  the  fact  and  also 
that  she  had  made  a  satisfactory  record  in  the  depart- 
ment work. 

This  same  program  has  since  been  followed  in  sev- 
eral other  stores  with  equal  success.  In  one  store  half 
of  the  sales  force  of  the  selected  departments  came  to 
the  classroom  at  one  time,  but  usually  not  more  than 
a  third  could  be  spared.  The  buyers  were  always  sure 
that  it  would  work  havoc  in  the  department,  but  when 
once  established  the  wheels  ran  very  smoothly  and  not 
more  than  reasonable  adjustments  were  necessary. 

The  course  thus  far  has  been  from  three  to  three  and 
one-half  months  long.  It  has  been  much  easier  to 
carry  the  later  classes  with  the  aid  of  the  merchandise 
manuals  which  were  the  outgrowth  of  earlier  work. 

The  response  of  the  salespeople  to  the  large  interests 
of  the  merchandise,  wherever  these  courses  have  been 


84  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

given,  has  been  quite  surprising.  They  seemed  to  real- 
ize at  once  the  opportunity  presented.  They  not  only 
enjoy  the  study  and  want  to  make  a  record  in  the  class, 
but  they  freely  acknowledge  the  intellectual  stimulus. 
One  woman,  no  longer  young,  said,  "  It  is  like  a  col- 
lege education  for  some  of  us  who  had  to  leave  school 
early."  Another  remarked,  "  It  is  like  opening  a  new 
world." 

Such  courses  give  professional  training  for  retail 
sales  work  and  raise  the  status  of  the  salesperson  by 
placing  her  in  the  class  of  skilled  workers  instead  of 
among  untrained  ones.  The  same  revolution  took 
place  a  number  of  years  ago  in  the  character  and  effi- 
ciency of  nurses  when  the  trained  graduate  nurse  took 
the  place  of  the  old  "  experienced,"  but  often  ignorant 
and  incapable,  type.  The  result  of  training  salespeople 
has  been  to  increase  not  only  their  knowledge  and 
efficiency  but  their  self-respect,  ambition  in  business, 
and  interest  in  life. 


Chapter  VIII 

MATERIAL  FOR  MERCHANDISE  CLASSES 

Importance  of  Suitable  Surroundings 

The  educational  director  should  not  let  her  work 
be  made  unimportant  by  its  poor  setting.  She  must 
have  a  quiet  and  suitable  classroom  if  she  is  to  do  good 
work,  and  she  must  have  suitable  tools  to  work  with. 
In  spite  of  the  demands  of  business  these  can  be  pro- 
vided if  she  makes  it  clear  that  the  time  of  valuable 
salespeople  should  be  conserved  to  the  utmost  and 
therefore  that  proper  equipment  is  real  economy. 

Necessity  for  Exhibit  Material 

Merchandise  classes  need  a  large  amount  of  concrete 
material  for  the  purpose  of  illustration.  Salespeople 
are  accustomed  to  handling  things,  not  to  reading  about 
them.  They  can  grasp  any  kind  of  merchandise  in- 
formation more  easily  if  it  is  illustrated  with  exhibits 
of  raw  material,  pictures,  and  charts.  The  exhibit  is 
a  very  important  part  of  the  instructor's  equipment. 
Fortunately,  opportunities  for  securing  such  exhibits 
are  increasing  rapidly. 

85 


86  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

Sources  of  Exhibits 

It  has  become  quite  fashionable  for  manufacturers 
to  prepare  special  exhibits  showing  their  own  products 
at  various  stages.  A  number  of  educational  exhibits 
have  been  prepared  for  the  schools,  and  the  United 
States  Government  has  also  gone  into  the  exhibit  busi- 
ness. A  partial  list  of  sources  from  which  exhibits 
may  be  obtained  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix. 

With  all  the  aids  which  are  now  available,  a  director 
should  not  depend  on  outside  agencies  for  the  organ- 
ization of  her  store  exhibits.  The  field  is  wide  and  the 
purposes  of  those  who  prepare  them  are  not  quite  in 
line  with  her  own  plans.  Manufacturers  are  anxious 
only  to  bring  out  the  special  virtues  of  their  own  prod- 
ucts and  not  to  give  a  general  view,  while  educational 
and  government  exhibits  are  planned  for  the  general 
public  from  the  consumer's  viewpoint. 

It  will  often  be  necessary  to  break  up  manufacturers' 
exhibits  or  even  educational  exhibits  and  rearrange 
them  in  order  to  secure  a  uniformity  of  plan  and  the 
emphasis  which  is  needed  in  department  store  classes, 
but  this  should  not  be  done  until  a  general  plan  has 
been  made  and  tested  by  actual  use  in  the  class- 
room. 

Permanent  Exhibits 

For  the  merchandise  classes  described  in  Chapter 


MATERIAL  FOR  CLASSES  87 

VII  permanent  exhibits  of  various  kinds  were  used, 
supplemented  by  a  large  number  specially  prepared. 
These  exhibits  were  by  no  means  confined  to  the  things 
which  are  fastened  to  a  card  or  boxed  behind  a  glass 
cover.  Whole  skins  with  the  hair  on,  finished  leather, 
gloves,  and  shoes  in  all  stages  of  manufacture  were 
shown  and  passed  around  the  class.  The  same  course 
may  be  followed  in  teaching  pottery  and  glass  and  the 
stock  of  other  departments.  The  Frontispiece  and 
Figure  3  show  the  exhibits  used  in  the  classes  studying 
leather  and  gloves  and  millinery. 

Textile  materials  are,  of  course,  among  the  easiest 
exhibits  to  obtain.  Non-textile  materials,  such  as  rub- 
ber, leather,  glass,  pottery,  hat  straw,  metals,  and  spe- 
cial manufactured  products  can  now  be  secured  with- 
out the  vast  amount  of  effort  which  was  formerly  re- 
quired. So  many  calls  have  been  made,  in  fact,  that  a 
number  of  exhibits  which  were  at  one  time  furnished 
by  manufacturers  without  charge  are  now  put  on  the 
market  for  sale.  The  director  may  sometimes  secure 
such  exhibits,  however,  through  the  co-operation  of  the 
buyers  of  the  store  departments.  Even  where  they 
must  be  purchased,  if  the  director  asks  only  for  those 
she  needs  for  class  use,  the  expenditure  will  be  spread 
over  a  period  of  months  and  the  store  will  probably 
be  proud  enough  of  its  increasing  display  to  make  the 
necessary  appropriations. 


88  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

The  Right  Method  of  Study 

The  study  of  the  materials  exhibited  should  be  re- 
organized for  the  department  store.  It  is  essential  to 
begin  with  the  merchandise  in  the  department  under 
discussion;  to  describe  and  analyze  the  things  which 
the  saleswoman  sees  every  day ;  to  progress  from  the 
particular  to  the  general,  from  the  concrete  to  the  ab- 
stract. Methods  of  raising  flax  in  Ireland  are  vague, 
but  the  elaborate  towel  or  centerpiece  which  the  sales- 
person is  looking  at  is  a  most  real  and  visible  object. 

It  is  necessary  to  end  wath  the  merchandise  also,  so 
that  the  salespeople  may  realize  that  they  have  been 
journeying  through  the  fields  of  botany,  economics, 
and  history  not  only  to  gain  pleasant  and  profitable 
information,  but  to  complete  the  circle  of  knowledge 
which  makes  for  efficiency.  For  these  reasons  the 
wise  director  begins  her  course  with  a  description  of 
the  special  department  and  its  stock,  and  ends  with  a 
detailed  classification  of  that  stock. 

Questions  of  Space  and  Arrangement 

The  questions  of  space  and  of  the  proper  arrange- 
ment of  exhibits  are  of  great  importance. 

The  space  available  in  any  store  is  so  limited  that 
the  greatest  care  must  be  taken  to  make  each  exhibit 
as  complete  as  possible  and  yet  keep  it  in  small  com- 
pass.    Finely   arranged   exhibits,   protected   by   glass 


MATERIAL  FOR  CLASSES  89 

doors  or  covers  and  so  delicately  mounted  that  they 
may  not  be  handled,  are  also  to  be  avoided  as  far  as 
possible,  though  it  is  necessary  for  some  things  to  be 
put  up  in  this  manner  so  that  they  may  be  preserved. 

In  the  exhibits  of  cotton,  flax,  silk,  and  wool  the 
best  plan  is  to  have  a  card  or  box  in  which  the  cotton 
bolls,  flax  stalks,  silkworms,  or  wool  fibers  are  dis- 
played; varieties  compared,  and  stages  of  production 
and  treatment  are  shown  consecutively.  A  box  from 
which  similar  articles  may  be  taken  out  and  passed 
around  may  accompany  these. 

It  is  usually  best  to  wait  until  a  considerable  amount 
of  material  is  collected  before  trying  to  arrange  for  a 
permanent  display,  and  then  to  call  in  the  window- 
dresser  or  display  manager  of  the  store  to  help  devise 
a  plan.  In  a  number  of  stores  one  or  two  exhibits 
occupied  an  amount  of  space  out  of  all  proportion  to 
their  importance,  and  others  had  to  be  crowded  into  a 
corner  or  put  away  in  drawers. 

Very  likely  it  may  be  necessary  to  have  a  sort  of 
rotary  exhibit  with  wall  or  table  cases  in  which  one 
series  of  displays  is  placed  for  a  certain  period  and 
then  another  replaces  it,  the  first  being  stored  away  in 
boxes  until  its  next  appearance. 

In  one  store  a  practical  arrangement  was  made  by 
which  the  display  exhibits  were  all  placed  in  shallow, 
cloth-covered  boxes  similar  to  those  which  were  used 


90  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

for  trimmings  and  other  merchandise.  Articles  to  be 
exhibited  were  fastened  securely  on  cards  which  were 
placed  in  the  bottom  of  these  boxes  and  protected  by 
the  box  cover.  Not  only  could  textiles  be  thus  dis- 
played, but  small  articles  of  glass,  china,  leather  goods, 
feathers,  a  shoe  exhibit,  and  many  others,  including 
color  and  design  cards  which  were  illustrated  with 
different  kinds  of  merchandise.  These  boxes  were 
provided  with  handles  at  one  end  and  labeled  as  stock 
boxes  would  be.  They  could  then  be  stacked  up  in  a 
rack  and  drawn  out  when  they  were  wanted.  This 
exhibit  was  easy  to  transport  from  place  to  place. 

Another  store  has  wall  cases  with  sliding  glass  doors 
and  shallow  drawers  beneath  in  which  the  supplemen- 
tary exhibits  may  be  kept. 

Each  store  has  its  own  problems  of  space,  light,  and 
availability.  The  director  should  lay  her  plans  in  such 
a  way  as  to  avoid  the  loss  and  destruction  of  her  mate- 
rial, to  have  it  in  a  convenient  form,  and,  as  it  accumu- 
lates, to  place  it  in  an  effective  setting  so  that  it  may 
be  a  credit  to  the  class  and  attract  interest  because  of 
the  manner  in  which  it  is  displayed. 

Use  of  Moving  Pictures 

Moving  pictures  have  become  one  of  the  popular 
means  of  instruction  today  and  are  nowhere  more  val- 
uable than  in  teaching  industrial  processes.     There  are 


MATERIAL  FOR  CLASSES  91 

now  several  different  companies  preparing  industrial 
films  for  use  in  schools  and  on  the  lecture  platform  and 
some  of  these  can  also  be  obtained  for  merchandise 
classes.  Some  of  them  are  much  better  adapted  to 
such  use  than  others,  but  unfortunately  this  is  not  al- 
ways indicated  in  the  catalogue  and  is  not  discovered 
until  they  are  tried. 

Stereoscopic  pictures  of  industrial  process  have 
been  made  which  can  be  used  in  a  store  lantern  and  are 
quite  as  educational  though  less  vivid,  and  also  less 
expensive,  than  the  motion  pictures. 

Notes  on  Class  Work 

One  great  difficulty  which  all  directors  face  is  the 
lack  of  short  and  appropriate  written  material.  While 
most  of  the  information  given  in  store  classes  must  be 
in  the  form  of  talks  or  lectures  and  discussions,  the 
class  session  will  be  much  more  profitable  if  the  mem- 
bers can  go  over  the  subject  either  before  or  after  the 
lesson.  We  cannot  expect  them  to  do  much  reciting, 
but  they  are  very  glad  to  have  notes  to  refer  to,  espe- 
cially when  a  test  is  to  be  made. 

Their  own  notes  would  be  most  satisfactory  if  they 
knew  how  to  take  notes.  In  one  class,  after  a  number 
of  experiments,  the  instructors  decided  that  taking 
notes  was  a  waste  of  time  for  people  to  whom  writing 
was  such  a  difficult  form  of  expression.     The  notes 


92  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

were  therefore  prepared  for  them  on  a  copying  ma- 
chine and  each  girl  had  a  loose-leaf  note-book  in  which 
these  were  inserted.  At  the  end  of  the  course  the 
note-books  were  returned  for  revision  and  missing 
leaves  were  supplied  so  that  a  complete  record  was 
made. 

Trade  Papers 

Most  buyers  take  one  or  more  of  the  trade  papers 
which  deal  with  their  merchandise,  but  these  papers 
are  thrown  away  after  they  have  been  read,  because 
they  become  a  nuisance.  It  would  be  helpful  to  the 
salespeople  if  these  papers  were  placed  in  the  rest 
rooms.  There  should  also  be  a  system  for  filing  such 
periodicals  in  board  covers  in  the  library  and  salespeo- 
ple should  be  encouraged  to  use  them. 

Bulletin  Boards 

A  bulletin  board  should  be  placed  in  the  rest  room 
or  lunch  room  of  the  store  on  which  notices  of  lectures, 
conferences,  and  other  topics  of  general  interest  are 
posted. 

Such  a  bulletin  board  may  also  call  attention  to  in- 
teresting articles  in  the  current  trade  papers  and  some- 
times may  have  pictures  or  articles  arranged  on  it 
poster  fashion. 


MATERIAL  FOR  CLASSES  93 

The  Store  Library 

Every  store  should  have  an  employees'  library. 
Some  stores  have  tried  the  library  plan  and  then  dis- 
carded it  because  the  salespeople  did  not  use  their  op- 
portunity. In  most  of  these  cases,  however,  it  had  not 
been  given  a  fair  trial. 

A  store  library  needs  a  librarian  as  much  as  a  store 
class  needs  a  teacher,  and  the  library  must  be  made  at- 
tractive and  interesting.  Employees  do  not  get  the 
library  habit  just  because  there  is  a  collection  of  books 
available.  They  may  need  to  have  the  books  brought 
to  them  at  first,  instead  of  having  to  hunt  them  up  dur- 
ing a  busy  day. 

The  Librarian's  Opportunity 

The  educational  director  in  one  very  large  store 
happened  to  be  a  librarian  before  she  became  a  teacher. 
In  her  early  store  work  she  would  go  from  one  de- 
partment to  another,  taking  the  books  which  she 
thought  the  salespeople  ought  to  know  about.  Some- 
times these  books  were  on  salesmanship  or  business 
topics,  sometimes  they  were  books  of  more  general 
interest.  Little  by  little  she  made  the  library  popular 
and  established  the  reading  habit  so  that  the  store  now 
keeps  three  special  librarians  busy  and  has  a  collection 
of  technical  as  well  as  popular  books  which  form  the 
basis  of  the  store  instruction  and  are  in  constant  use. 


94  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

Co-operation  with  Public  Libraries 

In  many  cities  the  public  library  is  now  willing  to 
supply  a  traveling  collection  which  can  be  changed 
from  time  to  time  and  may  include  books  of  useful  in- 
formation as  well  as  fiction.  It  is  part  of  the  library 
idea  now  that  books  must  be  brought  to  the  people. 
The  library  will  also  purchase  extra  supplies  of  books 
on  subjects  for  which  there  is  special  call.  Such  col- 
lections, however,  are  not  satisfactory  by  themselves, 
though  they  may  supply  supplementary  material.  The 
store  should  begin  to  build  up  its  own  business  library 
as  soon  as  possible  and  the  director  should  consider  it 
one  of  her  most  effective  tools. 


Chapter  IX 

THE  STUDY  OF  THE  CUSTOMER 

Salespeople's  General  Attitude  Toward  the  Customer 

Good  salesmanship  requires  a  knowledge  of  the  cus- 
tomer as  well  as  of  the  merchandise  sold.  A  great 
deal  has  been  written  about  the  salesperson's  attitude 
toward  the  customer.  Many  criticisms  have  been 
made  and  much  excellent  advice  has  been  offered.  In 
point  of  fact  store  salespeople  have  one  general  atti- 
tude toward  customers  —  chronic  indifference. 

They  are  not  antagonistic  or  ill-disposed  and  they 
are  usually  anxious  to  make  a  sale,  but  in  very  many 
cases  they  are  really  bored  by  the  streams  of  people 
passing  up  and  down  the  aisles  and  when  a  prospective 
customer  approaches,  their  manner  makes  this  perfectly 
plain.  The  customer  usually  finds  it  necessary  to  gain 
a  salesperson's  attention  before  she  can  begin  purchas- 
ing. Salespeople  who  do  not  stand  behind  a  counter 
are  more  apt  to  go  up  to  the  customer  and  offer  to 
serve  her,  but  even  their  approach  is  often  a  merely 
formal  thing. 

95 


96  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

Attitude  Toward  Personal  Acquaintances 

When  a  customer  is  really  known  to  a  salesperson 
the  situation  changes.  A  friendly  desire  to  serve,  an 
interest  in  the  personality  and  wants  of  the  purchaser 
is  then  spontaneous  and  very  genuine.  It  results  in 
many  purchases  which  the  customer  did  not  intend  to 
make  and  which  are  prompted  not  because  the  sales- 
person wants  to  increase  her  "  suggestion  sales,"  but 
from  a  friendly  desire  to  meet  a  want  of  "  her  "  cus- 
tomer or  give  her  an  opportunity  to  secure  a  bargain. 

In  the  stores  of  a  large  city  the  proportion  of  these 
personal  customers  is  comparatively  small,  while  in 
small  places  they  may  be  in  the  majority.  No  store, 
however,  should  depend  on  this  personal  acquaintance 
for  interested  salesmanship.  The  general  attitude  of 
the  salespeople  must  be  changed  so  that  every  customer 
is  interesting,  for  no  galvanized  pretense  of  interest 
will  answer  the  purpose. 

Cultivating  an  Interest  in  People 

Interest  in  people  can  be  cultivated  through  a  study 
of  people,  just  as  an  interest  in  merchandise  is  devel- 
oped through  studying  the  goods.  Interest  in  any  sub- 
ject results  either  from  some  knowledge  or  from  curi- 
osity and  a  desire  to  know  more.  The  educational 
director  may  arouse  in  salespeople  what  the  French 
call  "  the  great  curiosity."     This  is  not  of  the  same 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  CUSTOMER  97 

genus  with  petty  curiosity  in  regard  to  people's  per- 
sonal affairs  or  social  standing.  It  is  the  desire  to 
know  what  people  are  like  in  themselves,  how  we  may 
meet  them,  and  learn  to  know  their  quality.  For  the 
saleswoman  it  means  the  desire  to  know  how  certain 
customers'  minds  work  in  order  that  she  may  meet 
them  in  the  right  way  to  make  a  sale. 

Classes  in  salesmanship  should  take  up  the  study  of 
the  customer  before  considering  the  process  of  the  sale, 
for  many  of  the  methods  of  arousing  interest  or  clos- 
ing a  sale  depend  for  their  effectiveness  entirely  upon 
the  kind  of  woman  with  whom  the  salesperson  is  deal- 
ing. 

Different  Methods  of  Handling  the  Subject 

The  study  of  the  customer  may  be  made  a  part  of 
the  departmental  course  and  balance  the  lessons  on 
merchandise,  or  it  can  be  given  to  a  group  selected  in 
an  entirely  different  way;  for  instance,  from  the  most 
expert  salespeople. 

If  departmental  lines  are  observed  in  making  up  the 
classes,  the  merchandise  has  a  freer  play  in  the  discus- 
sion and  the  two  subjects  may  be  made  to  strengthen 
each  other  when  the  process  of  the  sale  is  taken  up. 
In  whatever  manner  it  is  introduced,  the  discussion  of 
customers  is  always  a  live  subject  capable  of  drawing 
out  the  ideas  of  the  class.     This  will  always  be  one  of 


98  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

the  most  entertaining  groups  under  the  director's  care. 
It  will  be  quite  permissible  for  members  to  discuss 
their  patrons  if  names  are  omitted  and  personal  criti- 
cism is  forbidden. 

Types  of  Customers 

When  a  group  of  salespeople  are  first  asked  to  name 
different  types  of  customers,  they  are  very  much  at  a 
loss.  They  will  think  of  "  dependent  "  and  "  critical  " 
and  "  common-sense  "  people,  but  beyond  these  their 
ideas  are  scattered.  Some  of  the  characteristics  which 
they  mention  affect  salesmanship  and  some  do  not. 
They  need  help  in  classifying  their  customers  under  a 
few  general  heads  so  that  they  may  know  how  to  deal 
with  them.  The  effort  at  classification  has  an  addi- 
tional value  because  it  arouses  interest  and  curiosity 
and  makes  salespeople  analyze  their  own  conclusions. 

There  is  a  school  which  gives  much  attention  to  the 
shape  of  the  face  or  head,  texture  of  the  skin,  and 
other  physical  points  in  judging  people.  Whatever 
the  value  of  such  estimates,  and  it  may  be  considerable, 
the  department  store  salesman  or  woman  is  not 
equipped  for  making  them,  but  must  be  content  with 
simple  analyses. 

There  is  a  more  or  less  valid  division  of  people  ac- 
cording to  temperament  which  has  been  used  in  teach- 
ing salesmanship  to  men.     The  nervous,  the  sanguine 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  CUSTOMER      99 

or  good-natured,  and  the  phlegmatic  types  are  de- 
scribed and  made  the  basis  for  different  kinds  of  treat- 
ment. These  distinctions  are  a  httle  over  the  heads 
of  most  department  store  people  and  the  guesses  which 
they  are  likely  to  make  before  they  place  men  and 
women  properly  according  to  their  type  are  apt  to  go 
wide  of  the  mark  and  discourage  further  trials. 

A  simpler  and  more  concrete  method  is  to  list  the 
large  number  of  cases  which  may  be  gathered  by  ques- 
tioning the  class,  and  then  work  out  a  classification 
under  certain  general  groups.  The  subject  of  attitude 
and  treatment  of  these  groups  may  then  be  taken  up. 

The  following  list  was  worked  out  with  two  classes 
of  saleswomen  and  afterward  reviewed  and  slightly 
revised  by  a  class  of  store  teachers,  so  that  it  may  be 
considered  quite  typical.  It  may  be  found  advisable 
to  change  it  considerably  for  a  given  group. 

A  Classification  of  Customers  and  How  to  Meet 
Them 

For  customers  who  are  We  need 


Nervous  types 
Tired  and  cross 
Unreasonable 
Fussy  and  nervous 
Interrupting 
Ignorant 
Excitable 
Impatient 


Patience 
Good  temper 
Quiet  manner 
Assurance 


lOO  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

For  customers  who  are  We  need 


Disagreeable  types 
Patronizing 
Aggressive 
Inquisitive 
Skeptical 
Talkative 
Insulting 


'Dignity 
Self-control 
Confidence    in 

ability 
Knowledge 
Calmness 


our   own 


Critical  types 
Cautious 
Critical 
Indifferent 
Bargain  hunters 
Silent 
Penurious 


CBelief  in  our  own  goods 
Knowledge       of       their 

values 
Care  in  presentation 
.Convincing   manner 


Dependent  types 
Timid 
Sensitive 
Dependent 
Absent-minded 
Deaf 

Old  ladies 
Undecided 

Children    and   men   buy- 
ing gifts 
Foreigners 


'Sympathy 
Gentleness 
Helpfulness 
Suggestions 
An    effort   to   think 
them 


for 


Commonsense  types 
Decided 
Pleasant 
Intelligent 
Considerate 


We  should  be  thankful, 
serve  them  well,  and 
learn  from  them  all  we 


By  these  methods  we  shall  add  steadily  to  that  treasured 
class  whom  we  call  "  our  customers." 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  CUSTOMER  lOl 

The  important  thing,  of  course,  is  to  inspire  the 
class  members  to  make  their  own  hsts  and  help  them 
in  analyzing  them  so  that  they  will  be  live  and  practical 
instead  of  a  group  of  meaningless  words. 

Not  all  of  the  people  listed  under  these  group  head- 
ings are  characterized  exactly  by  the  type  label,  but 
it  comes  near  enough  to  show  certain  likenesses  among 
the  people  described,  and  plainly  indicates  a  similarity 
of  attitude  and  treatment  on  the  salesperson's  part. 

The  Nervous  Types 

Among  the  nervous  types,  the  tired  and  cross  woman 
m.ay  be  really  quite  decided  and  pleasant  under  normal 
conditions  though  now  she  is  fussy,  unreasonable,  and 
impatient.  In  this  case  the  salesperson  must  supply 
the  repose,  good  temper,  and  patience  which  the  cus- 
tomer lacks. 

Patience  is  the  one  virtue  which  seems  to  have  im- 
pressed itself  on  the  average  saleswoman's  mind  as 
an  essential  quality.  Doubtless  it  is  among  the  most 
important  things  in  the  midst  of  the  worry  and  friction 
of  a  great  department  stofe,  but  patience  alone  will  not 
make  an  efficient  salesperson. 

The  nervous  person  should  have  prompt  as  well  as 
quiet  service.  She  should  not  be  referred  to  someone 
else.  She  is  pleased  with  an  alert,  positive,  yet  un- 
aggressive   manner.     Salespeople    should    distinguish 


102  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

between  the  nervous  type  and  a  person  who  is  in  a 
nervous  mood  because  of  fatigue. 

The  Disagreeable  Types 

In  dealing  with  certain  types  of  people  a  positive 
attitude  must  be  assumed  if  the  right  impression  is  to 
be  made.  The  group  of  customers  who  have  been 
listed  under  the  disagreeable  type  require  a  certain  stif- 
fening of  the  saleswoman's  spine  and  dignified  self- 
control  of  which  the  word  "  patience  "  does  not  give 
the  right  idea.  Patronizing,  aggressive,  and  insulting 
people  especially  need  to  be  met  with  a  dignified  cour- 
tesy which  is  thoroughly  self-respecting,  in  order  to 
command  respect  from  them. 

Talkative  people  may  "  talk  themselves  out  of  a 
sale,"  and  should  be  gently  brought  back  to  the  subject 
before  they  discover  that  their  time  is  up  or  that  there 
is  some  reason  why  they  should  wait  until  tomorrow 
to  decide. 

The  Critical  Types 

For  critical  people  defects  should  be  frankly  ad- 
mitted and  reasons  given  for  prices.  Bargain  hunters 
appreciate  a  statement  of  the  reasons  for  reductions  or 
special  values,  if  the  statement  is  based  on  facts. 
Sometimes  it  is  well  to  bring  out  the  article  which 
has  been  set  aside  for  just  this  occasion. 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  CUSTOMER  103 

Salespeople  need  to  distinguish  carefully  between 
the  customers  listed  as  "  disagreeable  "  and  those  who 
are  critical  and  cautious.  Many  are  apt  to  call  all 
critical  people  disagreeable  and  to  adopt  a  defensive 
attitude  toward  them.  This  is  very  unfortunate,  as 
the  cautious  and  critical  customer  is  one  of  the  most 
loyal  to  those  who  have  gained  her  confidence. 

The  silent,  reserved  customer  is  sometimes  critical 
and  sometimes  only  quiet  or  timid.  If  possible,  such 
customers  should  be  induced  to  talk  even  on  some  sub- 
ject other  than  the  sale,  so  that  the  saleswoman  may  be 
better  able  to  judge  how  to  treat  them.  The  critical 
person  should  be  met  with  reason  and  the  timid  one  set 
at  ease. 

The  Dependent  Types 

The  dependent  customer  is  theoretically  approved 
by  all  salespeople,  but  this  usually  means  that  they  are 
merely  customers  who  will  act  upon  advice.  They 
forget  the  special  classes  of  dependent  people  who  are 
deaf,  absent-minded,  foreign,  or  disabled  in  some  way. 
The  dependent  customer  often  brings  out  the  best 
qualities  of  the  person  who  waits  upon  her,  but  some- 
times those  positive  qualities  which  make  suggestions 
and  real  helpfulness  possible  have  never  been  developed 
in  the  saleswoman.  Two  passive  people  on  the  oppo- 
site sides  of  a  counter  will  never  make  a  decision  or  a 


I04  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

sale.  Saleswomen  should  be  shown  some  of  the  num- 
berless ways  in  which  they  can  actually  assist  the  timid 
or  the  undecided  customer  to  make  up  her  mind. 

An  undecided  person  may  like  to  be  saved  the 
trouble  of  deciding,  and  when  she  has  shown  a  prefer- 
ence for  some  one  article  the  salesperson  may  take  her 
choice  for  granted  without  an  actual  *'  yes  "  or  '*  no," 
A  cautious,  critical  customer,  on  the  other  hand,  will 
resent  such  treatment. 

While  being  careful  not  to  call  attention  to  deafness 
or  other  personal  defects,  the  saleswoman  should 
always  be  on  the  watch  for  such  limitations  and  give 
a  special  attention  to  the  customer's  wants. 

Absent-minded  people  appreciate  a  care  of  their  par- 
cels and  change  which  may  save  them  a  long  trip  back 
to  the  counter.  Children  or  men  who  are  shopping 
for  someone  else  should  be  special  objects  of  courtesy 
and  attention. 

Social  Classes 

Salespeople  should  recognize  the  social  class  from 
which  people  come  in  order  to  save  their  own  time  and 
that  of  the  customer  by  not  showing  the  wrong  mer- 
chandise. They  should,  however,  not  assume  too 
much  from  quiet  dress  or  manner,  for  many  people  of 
wealth  and  taste  dress  very  simply  on  the  street. 
There  are  many  indications  by  which  the  salesperson 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  CUSTOMER  105 

may  judge  whether  the  customer  is  interested  in  the 
more  expensive  goods.  Among  these  are  fine  gloves 
and  shoes,  or  other  handsome  accessories  in  her  cos- 
tume, even  where  the  effect  is  simple.  But  some  peo- 
ple are  indifferent  about  their  clothes  and  lavish  in 
their  household  furnishings.  One  must  be  careful  not 
to  act  hastily  on  apparent  evidence,  perhaps  spoiling  a 
sale  by  jumping  at  a  conclusion. 

Some  stores  will  not  allow  the  social  grade  of  theirj 
customers  to  be  recognized  at  all,  but  that  is  for  fear 
some  distinction  in  manner  or  service  will  be  made. 
Such  a  question  should  be  met  firmly  and  squarely. 
When  any  difference  in  service  is  rendered  it  should 
be  in  favor  of  the  poorer  and  more  dependent  customer 
and  the  same  courtesy  should  certainly  be  extended  to 
all. 

Developing  an  Attitude  of  Hospitality  and  Friendli- 
ness 
The  attitude  toward  customers  should  be  that  of  a 
host  or  hostess  toward  guests.  Service  is  rendered 
promptly  and  gladly,  because  the  comfort  of  the  guest 
is  the  first  concern  of  the  host.  The  wants  of  the 
guest  are  supplied  in  the  most  efficient  way  possible 
and  she  is  made  to  feel  that  she  is  always  welcome, 
whether  she  makes  any  return  through  purchases  or 
not. 


I06  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

The  salespeople  who  make  it  their  pleasure  and  duty 
to  study  and  serve  all  customers  well,  will  reap  a  large 
reward  in  their  feeling  of  increased  self-respect  and 
efficiency,  and  in  the  lengthened  list  of  their  special 
customers. 

There  is  another  even  larger  return  which  this 
friendly  study  of  people  will  give  to  those  whose  im- 
aginations have  been  starved  by  the  commonplaceness 
of  their  lives.  As  the  knowledge  of  merchandise  has 
opened  a  door  into  a  fascinating  world  of  things,  so 
the  knowledge  of  people  brings  them  into  a  real  fel- 
lowship with  the  students  of  the  mind. 


Chapter  X 

STUDY  OF  THE  PROCESS  OF  SELLING 

Danger  of  Overemphasis  on  Process  of  Selling 

"  The  sale  is  the  thing "  seems  to  have  been  the 
motto  of  all  who  have  lectured  or  written  on  the  sub- 
ject of  salesmanship.  Knowledge  of  the  commodity 
to  be  sold  and  even  knowledge  of  the  customer  is  often 
taken  for  granted,  but  the  psychological  process  by 
which  a  sale  is  made  forms  the  basis  of  salesmanship 
instruction. 

The  criticism  to  be  made  upon  this  kind  of  instruc- 
tion as  applied  to  the  department  store  is  that  it  is 
relatively  out  of  proportion  when  we  consider  the  con- 
ditions under  which  counter  salespeople  work. 

Personal  Salesmanship 

In  personal  salesmanship,  such  as  insurance,  real 
estate,  bonds,  or  even  the  merchandise  of  a  commer- 
cial traveler,  the  salesman  is  dealing  with  more  or  less 
reluctant  minds.  He  must  convince  his  "  prospect " 
that  the  particular  commodity  he  carries  is  what  the 
prospect  wants,  and  must  lead  him  by  mental  sugges- 

107 


io8  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

tion  through  all  the  necessary  psychological  processes 
until  the  subject  of  his  wiles  finds  himself  either  will- 
ingly or  unwillingly  the  possessor  of  whatever  goods 
the  salesman  has  decided  to  make  him  buy. 

This  is  a  fair  translation  of  salesmanship  as  taught 
under  such  heads  as : 

1.  Attracting  attention. 

2.  Arousing  interest. 

3.  Creating  desire. 

4.  Closing  the  sale. 

The  process  is  a  perfectly  legitimate  one,  as  the 
prospect  has  the  liberty  of  opposing  it  at  each  and 
every  stage  and,  unless  the  commodity  is  something 
which  he  really  wants,  he  is  weak-minded  if  he  has 
allowed  himself  to  be  the  victim  of  persuasive  elo- 
quence. 

Department  Store  Salesmanship 

The  situation  of  department  store  salespeople,  espe- 
cially of  those  who  sell  behind  the  counter,  is  quite  dif- 
ferent from  that  of  the  personal  salesman.  The  cus- 
tomer who  approaches  a  counter  has,  in  the  great 
majority  of  cases,  a  desire  to  purchase  goods  at  that 
counter.  Her  attention  needs  no  attraction,  her  inter- 
est is  already  aroused,  and  the  salesperson  should  con- 
centrate her  own  attention  on  finding  the  goods  which 


THE  PROCESS  OF  SELLING  109 

will  best  satisfy  the  customer's  wants,  presenting  the 
merchandise  in  an  effective  and  convincing  way,  and 
closing  the  sale.  The  last  part  of  the  transaction  often 
demands  some  of  the  methods  characteristic  of  per- 
sonal salesmanship. 

The  psychology  of  selling  is  well  worth  the  study 
of  all  department  store  people  and  in  suggestive  sell- 
ing they  may  approach  the  skill  of  any  kind  of  sales- 
man, but  the  director  should  not  be  carried  away  by  a 
theory  of  salesmanship  so  that  she  presents  ideas 
which  salespeople  do  not  recognize  as  applying  to  their 
case. 

The  Salesperson's  Habitual  Attitude 

Now,  what  most  department  store  salespeople  need 
to  learn  is  the  spirit  of  salesmanship.  They  have  not 
yet  learned  to  be  active;  their  habitual  attitude  is  one 
of  passivity  —  the  direct  result  of  the  general  feeling 
of  indifference  toward  customers.  The  point  which 
needs  emphasis  in  talking  to  the  saleswoman  in  the 
department  store  is  that  she  should  take  an  active,  and 
not  a  passive,  part  in  each  sale  she  makes.  Frequently 
it  seems  as  if  sales  were  made  in  spite  of  the  sales- 
woman, not  because  of  her. 

Illustration  of  Passive  Attitude  of  Saleswoman 

A    typical    example    of   passive    salesmanship    was 


no  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

given  recently  in  the  glove  department  of  a  metro- 
politan store  which  prides  itself  on  its  store  service. 
There  were  a  number  of  customers  at  the  counter,  but 
not  too  many  for  the  salespeople  to  handle  promptly. 
A  customer  who  had  but  twenty  minutes  in  which  to 
make  her  purchase  came  to  the  counter.  Nearly  five 
minutes  were  spent  in  getting  the  saleswoman's  atten- 
tion, after  which  her  "  interest  "  was  shown  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner : 

Saleswoman  (making  no  effort  to  examine  the  hand, 
which  is  small  and  short-fingered)  :  "  What  size  do 
you  wear? " 

Size  is  given  and  one  pair  of  gloves  brought  back. 
These  gloves  are  soiled  and  the  fingers  are  evidently 
too  long. 

Customer  waits  for  a  suggestion,  and  finally  makes 
it  herself.  "  Have  you  none  in  a  better  qual- 
ity?" 

Gloves  at  a  slightly  higher  price  are  examined  — 
there  are  none  in  that  size. 

A  pause  follows.  "  What  about  your  best  gloves?  " 
These  are  advertised  in  plain  sight  at  the  customer's 
right  hand. 

A  box  is  brought  and  at  customer's  insistence  the 
gloves  are  tried  on.  The  thumb  proves  to  be  some- 
what tight;  otherwise  the  gloves  fit  w^ell.  A  discour- 
aging pause  ensues. 


THE  PROCESS  OF  SELLING  m 

The  saleswoman  then  ventures  her  first  suggestion : 
"  You  should  have  a  larger  size." 

"  Yes,  but  what  about  the  fingers?  I  dislike  a  wrin- 
kle across  the  glove."  The  next  size  is  brought  out 
and  the  customer  assured  that  they  will  undoubtedly 
fit.  As  she  is  on  her  way  to  a  concert  the  gloves  are 
to  be  worn  immediately.  The  saleswoman  does  not 
offer  to  try  them  on,  but  allows  the  customer  to  put 
them  on  herself  and  as  the  first  glove  is  being  drawn 
on  a  friend  appears  and  she  is  hurried  away.  The 
gloves  are,  of  course,  too  large. 

Classes  of  Customers 

A  good  saleswoman  will  approach  her  sale  in  dif- 
ferent ways,  according  to  her  customers,  who  may  be 
grouped  in  the  following  classes : 

1.  Customers    who   know    what    they   want   and 

where  to  get  it. 

2.  Customers  who  know  what  they  want,  but  not 

where  to  get  it. 

3.  Customers  who  do  not  know  exactly  what  they 

want. 

4.  Customers  who  are  "  just  looking." 

The  first  class  needs  nothing  but  a  counter-server, 
though  they  appreciate  good  salesmanship  if  it  is  not 
too  persuasive  nor  insistent. 


112  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

The  second  may  need  considerable  help  in  the  way 
of  suggestion,  but  they  should  not  be  coerced  into  get- 
ting what  they  do  not  want. 

The  third  class  presents  a  real  problem  and  the 
salesperson  sometimes  must  use  all  her  ingenuity  to 
find  out  the  difficulty  and  meet  it  successfully.  The 
ignorance  of  the  customer  may  be  in  regard  to  the  suit- 
able thing  to  fill  a  well-defined  need,  or  it  may  be  due 
to  general  vagueness  of  mind,  or  the  uncertainty 
which  attends  the  search  for  a  gift.  Christmas 
shoppers  and  those  looking  for  wedding  gifts  are  a 
helpless,  but  not  necessarily  an  unintelligent,  group. 
Salespeople  who  are  able  to  put  themselves  in  the  cus- 
tomer's place  can  make  really  helpful  suggestions. 

Then  the  people  who  are  "  just  looking  "  may  not  be 
idly  gazing,  but  trying  to  compare  values  or  to  see 
whether  they  can  satisfy  their  wants  for  the  sum  they 
wish  to  spend.  All  the  art  of  attracting  attention  is 
useful  here,  but  people  must  never  feel  that  they  are 
being  trapped  into  buying. 

Suggestive  Selling 

Suggestive  selling  is  a  most  important  part  of  the 
salesperson's  work.  It  can  be  done  in  such  a  way  as 
to  make  a  permanent  customer  as  well  as  a  sale,  for 
the  spirit  of  helpfulness  and  new  ideas  are  always  wel- 
comed.    It  has  been  known,  however,  to  produce  the 


THE  PROCESS  OF  SELLING  113 

opposite  effect.  A  customer  has  been  heard  to  say, 
"  I  will  never  go  near  that  salesman  again,  for  he 
always  makes  me  buy  a  lot  of  things  I  don't  want/' 

Analysis  of  Lost  Sales 

One  of  the  best  ways  in  which  salespeople  may  be 
led  to  think  about  their  methods  is  by  the  analysis  of 
lost  sales.  They  may  not  reach  the  right  conclusion 
when  trying  to  see  why  they  failed,  but  they  are  at 
least  more  observant  next  time. 

Imagination  is  one  of  the  dormant  qualities  in  sales- 
people as  a  group.  They  do  not  put  themselves  in 
the  customer's  place  because  they  cannot.  Salesman- 
ship classes,  therefore,  should  be  very  definite  and 
practical.  It  is  easy  to  learn  a  set  of  words  without 
getting  their  meaning  at  all,  and  sometimes  a  sales- 
woman can  talk  about  arousing  interest  or  closing  a 
sale  without  any  ideas  back  of  her  words.  An  inter- 
esting experiment  has  been  made  by  which  members  of 
a  class  were  shown  what  they  actually  did  when  a  cus- 
tomer approached  and  so  on  through  the  sale. 
Where  was  their  attention  at  first?  What  was  the 
next  thought  and  why  ? 

Essentials  of  Retail  Salesmanship 

For  a  group  of  experienced  people  the  following 
brief  outline  was  made  in  order  to  accomplish  the 


114  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

same  result,  that  is,  to  bring  their  attention  to  the 
essentials  and  see  whether  they  were  observing  them. 
Too  much  detailed  analysis  of  a  sale  is  confusing  and 
may  defeat  its  own  object,  namely,  to  make  the  sales- 
person think. 

Approach  to  Customer 
Points  to  remember 
r.  Manner  is  more  important  than  the  form  of  address. 

2.  Try  to  remember  customers'  names. 

3.  Study  type  of  customer. 

4.  Try  to  judge  her  wants  somewhat  from  her  appearance 

and  manner. 

5.  Watch  a  customer's  eyes  for  interest. 

Stock  Arrangement 

Points  to  remember 

1.  Know  where  all  the  stock  in  your  department  may  be 

found. 

2.  Know  the  quantity  of  your  own  stock. 

3.  Notice  how  fast  any  stock  you  sell  is  moving,  whether  it  is 

your  own  or  not.     Avoid  remnants  and  odd  pieces. 

4.  Save   time   and   strength   by   system.     Put   things   away 

promptly  and  neatly. 

5.  Study  simplicity  of  arrangement. 

Arousing  Interest 

Points  to  remember 
The  customer's  interest  depends  largely  on  your  manner 
and  your  knowledge. 
I.  Qualities  in  a  salesperson  which  appeal  to  all  customers 
are: 

(a)  Attention  and  confidence 

(b)  Clear  speech 

(c)  Well-chosen  words 


THE  PROCESS  OF  SELLING  US 

(d)  Pleasant  voice 

(e)  Earnestness  and  courtesy 

(f)  Demonstration 

2.  High-grade    selling    is    based    upon    high-grade    stock 

knowledge. 

3.  Stock  knowledge  consists  of: 

(a)  Purpose 

(b)  Construction 

(c)  Style  or  design 

(d)  Finish 

(e)  Price 

4.  A  good  saleswoman  asks  few  questions. 

5.  Whenever   possible   answer   objections  before   they   are 

made. 

6.  Increase  the  number  of  your  good  and  appropriate  adjec- 

tives.    A  new  word  attracts  attention. 

7.  Ask    a    customer's    opinion.    Get    her    to    say    "  yes." 

Never  argue. 

8.  Do  not  show  goods  of  which  you  have  not  the  right  sizes 

or  something  which  is  plainly  unsuitable. 

9.  Demonstrate  whenever  you  can.     Try  on  or  show  how 

an  article  looks  when  worn  or  in  use. 
10.  Three  reasons  for  objection  to  price  are: 

(a)  The  customer  cannot  afford  it. 

(b)  A  cheaper  article  will  serve  the  purpose. 

(c)  The  customer  does  not  appreciate  the  value  of 

better    goods.     This    customer   can    often    be 
persuaded  to  buy  the  better  article. 

Closing  a  Sale 
Points  to  remember 

1.  Closing  a  sale  is  an   act  of  will.    You  must  get  your 

customer   to   decide.     There   is   a  difference   between 
tactful  suggestion  and  pressure. 

2.  Do  not  leave  too  many  articles  out  for  the  customer's 

choice.     This  is  very  important  with  hesitating  or  un- 
decided people. 


Ii6  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

3.  Appeal  to  imagination  and  reason.    Think  of  the  strong 

and  attractive  points  of  your  merchandise. 

4.  Do  not  undo  your  sale  at  the  last  by  distracting  your 

customer's  mind  when  it  seems  to  be  made  up, 

5.  Analyze  your  lost  sales  to  see  whether  you  were  at  fault 

or  might  do  better  next  time. 

6.  "  Three  qualities  are  needed  by  men  who  influence  men : 

good  sense,  good  will,  good  principles." — (Aristotle.) 

Motives  Which  Influence  the  Customer 

The  motives  to  appeal  to  vary  also  according  to  the 
merchandise.  What  are  the  motives  which  will  act  as 
incentives  to  buying  a  particular  kind  of  merchandise? 
There  are  general  motives  which  would  come  into  play 
in  any  purchase,  such  as  the  desire  for  possession, 
utility,  and  appreciation  of  good  values.  In  addition 
to  these  there  are  motives  which  arise  in  connection 
with  special  kinds  of  merchandise. 

Vanity  and  Comfort 

Articles  of  wearing  apparel  appeal  to  the  vanity  and 
comfort  of  the  wearer.  If  she  is  a  sensible  person  and 
her  purse  is  limited,  their  durability  as  to  material  and 
conservative  fashion  are  important,  but  if  she  is  young 
and  wishes  to  be  "  smart,"  these  are  the  last  motives  to 
appeal  to. 

In  a  hat  sale,  for  instance,  the  knowledge  of  mer- 
chandise concerns  materials  and  qualities,  shapes, 
colors,  fashion  trend,  suitability  for  different  occa- 
sions or  costumes.     Knowledge  of  the  customer  re- 


THE  PROCESS  OF  SELLING  117 

lates  to  personal  characteristics  —  coloring,  shape  of 
head  and  face,  manner  of  wearing  the  hair,  age,  man- 
ner of  dressing,  etc. 

The  sale  is  conducted  by  appealing  to  vanity  and 
comfort,  style  in  vogue,  becomingness ;  attention  is 
called  to  any  personal  points  as  the  hats  are  tried  on, 
and  the  sale,  if  properly  concluded,  is  based  on  the 
suitability  of  the  hat  to  the  wearer.  Therefore  the 
saleswoman  has  a  definite  guide  in  making  the  sale. 

Thrift  and  the  Home-Making  Instinct 

Housefurnishings  appeal  to  motives  of  thrift  and 
desire  to  save  labor,  as  well  as  to  the  home-making 
instinct.  Silverware,  china,  glassware,  and  linens  ap- 
peal to  the  sense  of  beauty,  home-making,  and  also  to 
vanity.  In  a  sale  of  china,  for  instance,  the  mer- 
chandise knowledge  needs  to  be  far  more  definite  and 
detailed  than  in  selling  wearing  apparel.  The  sales- 
woman should  know  materials  and  processes  of 
manufacture  in  order  to  know  whether  the  china  will 
chip  easily,  whether  the  decoration  is  likely  to  wash 
off,  and  many  other  points  relating  to  the  service- 
ability of  her  stock  which  are  not  apparent  to  the  pur- 
chaser. She  should  know  the  principal  manufacturers 
and  their  trade-marks  because  these  are  important  to 
the  purchaser. 

Knowledge  of  the  customer,  in  the  sale  under  dis- 


Il8  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

cussion,  would  mean  knowledge  of  her  style  of  living, 
her  present  stock  of  china,  personal  tastes,  whether 
she  is  a  china  fancier,  and  whether  she  "  knows  " 
china.  Most  of  these  facts  are  absolutely  beyond  the 
ken  of  the  average  salesperson.  If  she  is  to  profit 
by  any  of  them  she  must  be  tactful,  observant,  and 
quick-witted.  The  sales  appeal  is  either  to  utility, 
beauty,  or  both,  durability,  exclusiveness,  suitability  to 
a  home  she  does  not  know,  and  a  taste  which  she  can 
merely  infer  from  her  customer's  general  appearance. 
It  is  a  much  more  difficult  sale  to  make  than  a  hat 
sale,  if  salesmanship  is  required  at  all.  The  advantage 
which  the  china  saleswoman  has  over  the  hat  sales- 
woman is  that  the  customer  can  more  readily  make  up 
her  own  mind.  She  does  know  her  own  home,  her 
own  stock  of  china,  and  her  own  taste,  while  she  can- 
not always  recognize  a  becoming  hat. 

The  Demonstration  Sale 

The  motives  which  determine  a  particular  purchase, 
as  well  as  the  merchandise  itself,  must  be  determining 
factors  in  that  much  discussed  type  of  salesmanship 
teaching,  the  demonstration  sale.  This  method  is  one 
of  the  questions  at  issue  now  among  the  teachers  of 
salesmanship.  Some  teachers  make  it  their  chief  de- 
pendence ;  others  think  it  almost  worthless.  The  real 
trouble,  where  just  criticism  has  been  made,  is  not 


THE  PROCESS  OF  SELLING       1 19 

with  the  demonstration,  but  with  what  is  behind  it. 

Very  many  demonstration  sales  are  nothing  more 
than  "  playing  store  "  for  the  amusement  of  the  class 
or  of  visitors,  the  latter  being  much  impressed  by  the 
familiar  process  under  unusual  conditions,  and  by  the 
remarks  or  criticisms  which  are  obvious  and  stale  to 
the  class  but  new  to  the  outsider. 

A  director  should  never  stage  a  demonstration  sale 
except  for  the  purpose  of  impressing  some  important 
points  not  understood  by  the  class  or  as  a  test  or  re- 
view of  former  lessons. 

As  a  test,  the  sale  may  be  extremely  valuable,  if  it  is" 
well  prepared.  As  a  demonstration  of  expert  handling 
of  a  sale,  it  may  be  a  revelation  to  some  members  of 
the  class.  In  the  latter  case  the  salesperson  and  cus- 
tomer must  be  chosen  carefully,  but  if  their  parts  are 
rehearsed  beforehand,  the  drama  is  neither  convincing 
nor  effective  to  those  on  the  inside,  whatever  it  may  be 
to  the  outsider.  It  must  be  a  demonstration  of  a 
salesman's  ability  to  handle  an  unknown,  not  a  known 
quantity.  The  class  should  in  this  case  be  required  to 
make  notes,  analyze,  and  criticize  the  sale  according  td 
a  given  schedule. 

The  reason  for  grouping  the  salespeople  who  handle 
similar  merchandise  and  work  under  similar  conditions 
is  obvious.  The  sale  of  a  hat,  which  is  a  favorite  and 
effective  subject,  is  almost  valueless  to  the  salesperson 


I20  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

handling  china  or  stationery.  Store  service  is  the 
same,  but  the  handling  of  the  sale  is  very  different. 
The  untrained  mind  cannot  carry  over  and  translate 
the  forms  of  one  sale  into  those  of  another.  The  sales- 
girl from  the  china  department  is  much  more  apt  to  be 
interested  in  the  way  her  next  hat  is  sold  to  her  when 
she  herself  is  a  customer. 

Other  Methods 

Any  method,  however,  is  good  in  the  hands  of  an 
expert,  and  no  method  is  safe  in  those  of  a  bungler. 
The  director  who  would  increase  the  interest  and  effi- 
ciency of  her  classes  should  try  them  all,  including: 

Discussion  of  the  principles  of  salesmanship 

Analysis  of  sales 

Demonstration  sales 

Application  of  merchandise  knowledgv, 

and  any  other  device  which  she  can  invent.  Intelli- 
gence, interest,  enthusiasm,  and  increased  sales  are 
what  she  is  aiming  to  develop  and  she  should  judge 
of  her  success  by  results  and  not  by  effective  class  exer- 
cises. 


Part  III  — Broader  Aspects 


FOREWORD 

In  Part  III  the  broader  aspects  of  department  store 
relationships  are  considered.  The  welfare  and  social 
interests  of  the  employees  and  the  problems  of  employ- 
ment and  placement  are  very  intimately  connected  with 
the  constructive  plan  of  the  educational  director. 
This  is  so,  in  the  first  place,  because  she  learns  to  know 
the  needs  of  the  employees  through  personal  associa- 
tion; in  the  second  place,  because  both  social  activities 
and  a  system  of  promotion  aid  her  in  making  her  edu- 
cational program  effective. 

Health,  freedom  from  worry,  and  a  freshened  in- 
terest in  work  increase  the  spirit  of  store  service. 
Proper  placement  and  promotion  are  the  tangible, 
necessary  returns  of  the  store  management  to  the  em- 
ployees after  they  have  done  their  part  and  shown 
improvement.  Only  then  can  proper  and  intelligent 
co-operation  be  secured. 

Finally,  the  director  is  concerned  with  the  com- 
munity relations  of  the  store,  the  reactions  upon  pub- 

121 


122  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

lie  school  training  and  co-operation  with  the  high 
schools  in  order  to  secure  a  better  grade  of  employees, 
and  the  ethical  foundation  upon  which  the  store  bases 
its  business  policy  toward  its  members  and  toward  the 
community  it  serves. 

In  short,  the  educational  director's  task  is  the  diffi- 
cult but  not  impossible  one  of  supplying  the  connecting 
links  in  the  chain  —  service  of  employees,  recognition 
of  management,  satisfaction  of  the  community. 


Chapter  XI 

WELFARE  AND  SOCIAL  INTERESTS 

The  Theory  of  Employee  Welfare 

The  educational  director  is  in  many  stores  the  suc- 
cessor of  the  welfare  secretary  or  the  social  secretary, 
who  was  the  first  official  installed  to  give  the  personal 
touch  to  employee  relations  —  to  consider  their  health 
and  to  provide  the  social  and  moral  safeguards  which 
some  of  the  younger  ones  manifestly  needed.  This 
phase  of  benevolent  patronage  has  not  altogether 
passed.  Sometimes  the  store  retains  the  welfare  sec- 
retary in  addition  to  the  educational  director,  and 
sometimes  the  former  is  superseded  by  the  latter,  but 
in  any  case  the  relations  are  very  close. 

The  theory  of  employee  welfare  suffers  from  the 
aristocratic  fallacy  which  employees  of  the  better  sort 
resent  in  spite  of  its  kindly  intentions.  So  far  as  it 
aims  to  supply  good  working  conditions  it  is  sound 
business  and  simple  justice,  not  benevolence.  When 
it  goes  over  the  line  into  personal  affairs  it  is  becoming 
less  and  less  acceptable  to  the  employee,  unless  it  grows 
out  of  a  real  personal   interest  and  understanding. 

123 


124  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

The  Director's  Opportunity 

When  a  store  engages  an  educational  director  it  is 
taking  a  distinct  step  beyond  the  welfare  idea  and  it 
often  gives  her  the  opportunity  and  privilege  of  chang- 
ing the  whole  conception  of  the  social  relations  of  the 
store  and  of  putting  these  relations  on  a  sound,  demo- 
cratic basis. 

Ways  in  Which  Employees'  Interests  Are  Cared  For 

The  interests  of  store  employees  as  imderstood  by 
the  management  may  be  grouped  under  three  general 
heads : 

Welfare 
Social  activities 
Economic  betterment 

Under  welfare  should  be  included: 
Lunch  rooms 
Rest  and  smoking  rooms 
Hospitals,  nurses,  and  store  physicians 
Holidays  and  vacations 

Under  social  life: 

Gymnasiums  and  athletic  clubs 

Choral  societies 

Store  parties,  dinners,  and  entertainments 

Store  papers 


WELFARE  AND  SOCIAL  INTERESTS        125 

Under  economic  betterment : 

Mutual  benefit  and  insurance  plans 
Co-operative  associations 

There  is  a  good  deal  of  overlapping  in  all  these 
divisions,  but  this  is  inevitable  when  personal  interests 
are  concerned,  A  few  stores  include  nearly  all  these 
activities  and  most  modem  stores  have  some  of  them. 
A  very  few  have  gone  so  far  as  to  organize  a  co-oper- 
ative association  and  many  have  grievance  committees 
in  which  employees  can  voice  their  objections  and 
reach  the  management  through  representatives. 

Connection  of  These  Interests  with  Educational  Work 

Whether  the  educational  director  is  in  charge  of 
any  of  these  interests  or  not,  they  all  touch  her  work 
directly  or  indirectly.  She  is  deeply  concerned  with 
the  health  of  the  employees,  as  it  is  a  vital  factor  in 
store  efficiency  and  in  store  happiness.  She  is  there- 
fore interested  in  seeing  that  wholesome  and  palatable 
food  is  provided  in  the  lunch  room  at  a  reasonable 
price.  The  lunch  rooms  in  some  otherwise  well-man- 
aged stores  are  so  unattractive  that  the  appetite  and 
digestion  of  delicate  girls  are  affected. 

Rest  Rooms 

Well-ventilated  and  quiet  rest  rooms,  fully  equipped 


126  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

with  comfortable  lounging  chairs  or  couches,  are  most 
important  in  a  busy  store  where  the  nervous  strain  is 
great.  A  rest  period  of  fifteen  minutes  daily  is  pro- 
vided for  the  employees  in  most  large  stores  and  these 
brief  minutes  of  relaxation  may  add  much  to  the 
efficiency  of  the  salespeople.  As  an  educational  aid, 
the  rest  room  should  be  provided  with  interesting  trade 
papers,  newspapers,  and  periodicals  and  should  adjoin 
the  library. 

A  well-planned  store  will  have  its  lunch  rooms,  rest 
rooms,  educational  department,  and  gymnasium 
grouped  so  that  they  may  be  mutually  helpful. 

Store  Hospital 

The  hospital,  with  its  nurse  or  physician  in  atten- 
dance, is  essential  in  reaching  minor  illnesses  and  help- 
ful in  preventing  serious  breakdowns.  The  director 
should  encourage  all  employees  to  seek  medical  ad- 
vice before  a  condition  becomes  so  serious  that  it 
cannot  be  corrected. 

Stores  which  have  established  this  temporary  hos- 
pital service,  where  an  hour's  rest  may  be  taken  or  first 
aid  rendered,  have  found  it  most  valuable.  They  do 
not  consider  it  so  much  a  humanitarian  as  a  business 
proposition,  which  saves  many  days  of  enforced  ab- 
sence on  the  part  of  employees. 

This  health  service,  however,  does  not  usually  go  far 


WELFARE  AND  SOCIAL  INTERESTS         127 

enough.  It  merely  relieves  and  does  not  attempt  to 
build  up  the  general  standard  of  health  in  the  store. 
These  same  half  measures  are  often  carried  into  the 
educational  department,  where  temporary  corrective 
work  takes  the  place  of  permanent,  constructive  teach- 
ing. 

Constructive  Health  Work 

Some  stores  have  established  a  system  of  physical 
examination  for  new  employees,  so  that  they  may 
gradually  weed  out  the  seriously  unfit.  A  few  have 
tried  the  experiment  of  giving  such  examinations  to 
those  already  employed.  In  one  such  case  the  exam- 
inations were  followed  by  *'  prescriptions  "  of  correc- 
tive exercises,  diet,  and  dress,  with  an  occasional  refer- 
ence to  a  physician  or  dentist  for  treatment.  The  re- 
sults of  this  treatment  were  highly  satisfactory,  but 
opposition  from  certain  influential  quarters  stopped  the 
experiment  before  it  could  be  thoroughly  tried  out. 

Such  constructive  treatment  of  the  health  question 
would  justify  itself  in  a  short  time  and  permanently 
help  valuable  people,  just  as  the  hospital  saves  valuable 
time. 

Commercial  hygiene,  in  relation  to  the  needs  of  the 
individual  or  of  the  store,  has  never  been  sufficiently 
studied.  The  physical  effect  of  light,  noise,  confusion, 
and  the  fatigue  which  results  from  standing  for  eight 


128  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

hours  a  day,  have  never  been  considered  v^ith  relation 
to  their  effect  on  selling  efficiency.  Yet  a  hosiery 
saleswoman  in  a  metropolitan  store  complained  of  a 
very  noticeable  decline  in  her  own  ability  as  the  result 
of  the  transfer  of  her  department  from  the  second  to 
the  first  floor.  It  is  a  common  observation  that  sales- 
women are  physically  unable  to  give  good  service  in 
the  last  hours  of  a  busy  day.  Any  personal  help  or 
store  adjustment  that  will  lessen  fatigue  will  add  to 
selling  ability, 

Saturday  half-holidays,  which  in  some  cases  have 
been  stretched  to  full  holidays  during  July  and  August, 
are  in  line  with  the  growing  recognition  of  the  strain 
imposed  by  nervous  work  in  hot  weather.  Vacations 
with  pay  are  also  given  as  a  reward  for  continuous 
service,  but  are  rather  an  earned  bonus  than  a  gift. 
The  store  is  amply  repaid  for  its  liberality  in  this  re- 
spect when  it  secures  more  continuous  service  and  the 
impetus  which  every  employee  brings  back  after  a  rest 
which  has  not  been  too  much  of  a  drain  upon  a  limited 
purse 

Group  Interests  vs.  Individualism 

The  director  may  well  encourage  group  interests 
among  store  employees  that  will  brighten  their  lives 
and  add  to  the  social  spirit.  Gymnasium  and  athletic 
clubs  serve  two  purposes.     They  improve  the  health 


WELFARE  AND  SOCIAL  INTERESTS         1 29 

of  those  who  join  them,  and  also  add  greatly  to  store 
atmosphere  and  good  feeling. 

Excessive  individualism,  with  its  resulting  lack  of 
co-operation  or  team-work,  is  the  most  glaring  defect 
in  department  store  work.  Nowhere  in  the  business 
world  does  one  find  such  extreme  individualism. 
Each  department  and  each  member  of  the  department 
is  sharply  separated  from  the  others,  and  the  lack  of  a 
normal  social  atmosphere  and  social  organization  is  a 
serious  obstacle  to  the  development  of  the  girls  and 
women  employed  in  the  store.  Because  of  the  con- 
stant presence  of  customers,  there  are  extremely  few 
opportunities  for  friendly  intimacy  with  one's  fellow- 
workers  during  business  hours. 

A  girl  who  had  been  in  a  gymnasium  class  but  a 
short  time  said:  "  I  have  seen  different  ones  of  these 
girls  year  after  year,  as  they  come  and  go  from  the 
store,  but  I  have  never  spoken  to  one  of  them  until  I 
met  them  in  the  gymnasium  class."  If  that  girl  re- 
ceived nothing  more  from  her  class  than  the  social 
or  group  spirit  expressed  by  her,  it  would  have  given 
her  a  new  interest  both  in  her  own  work  and  in  the 
store. 

But  that  is  not  all  she  gains.  Physical  exercise  and 
athletic  games  develop  self-control  and  self-reliance. 
Every  kind  of  play  that  is  worthy  of  the  name  de- 
velops not  merely  health  and  strength  but  also  alert- 


I30  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

ness,  quickness  of  response,  coolness,  balance,  wari- 
ness, and  swift  judgment  —  qualities  of  the  greatest 
importance  in  selling.  Salesmanship  is  itself  a  sort 
of  game  or  contest  of  wits  between  two  minds,  and  all 
the  sportsman-like  qualities  are  needed.  Team  spirit 
may  be  talked  about  forever,  but  it  will  never  develop 
as  the  result  of  lectures.  Figure  4  shows  a  typical  de- 
partment store  gymnasium  class. 

Value  of  Gymnasium  and  Athletic  Work 

The  value  of  gymnasium  and  athletic  work  can  be 
summarized  as:  (i)  the  development  of  surplus  physi- 
cal energy  and  spontaneity  and  the  correction  of  many 
physical  weaknesses;  (2)  the  cultivation  of  the  social 
spirit,  enthusiasm,  and  team-work,  which  will  have 
their  reflex  effect  on  store  work. 

A  first-hand  description  of  an  evening  gymnasium 
class  under  the  direction  of  the  educational  department 
of  a  metropolitan  store,  which  appeared  in  The  Survey 
during  April,  19 16,  is  inserted  here,  because  it  illus- 
trates these  two  points  from  actual  experience. 

"  Up  and  Down  the  Liberty  Pole  " 

The  scene  last  night  was  a  gymnasium,  the  actors  thirty- 
five  saleswomen  from  one  of  our  New  York  department 
stores,  and  they  were  exercising  in  order  to  overcome  the 
special  evils  and  weaknesses  incident  to  that  occupation.  It 
was  the  "  open  night "  for  visitors,  but  the  program  of  the 
evening  was  carried  out  as  usual. 


o 


WELFARE  AND  SOCIAL  INTERESTS        131 

First  the  girls  marched  in  the  usual  way,  showing  a  spring 
and  vitality  hardly  to  be  expected  after  standing  nearly  nine 
hours  behind  a  counter.  Next  they  spread  out  in  ranks  on 
the  floor  for  the  "  mat  "  exercises.  In  this  relaxed  position 
they  flexed  and  extended  their  knees  and  pointed  their  toes 
gracefully  and  rhythmically  to  music.  Next  a  sitting  posture 
in  rows  facing  each  other,  one  girl  grasping  firmly  the  toes 
of  her  opponent  who  swayed  back  until  she  touched  the 
floor  and  up  again  without  moving  her  folded  arms.  The 
mat  exercise  ended  with  deep  breathing.  Then  springing  to 
their  feet  they  swung  through  an  English  contra  dance, 
"  Pop  goes  the  weasel,"  whose  mazes  were  too  intricate  for 
a  casual  visitor  to  follow. 

Up  and  down  the  liberty  pole. 
The  monkey  chased  the  weasel, 
That's  the  way  the  money  goes, 
Pop  goes  the  weasel. 

When  the  visitor  was  out  of  breath  watching,  however, 
the  real  fun  of  the  evening  began.  First  came  bat  ball  in 
which  the  teams  were  divided  according  to  weight.  The 
light  weights  won  in  the  fourth  inning,  the  score  being  six- 
teen to  ten.  Arch  goal  ball  was  still  more  exciting  and  the 
score  three  to  nothing  with  weight  more  evenly  divided. 
There  was  no  need  for  silence  in  this  game.  Verbal  assis- 
tance was  offered  to  each  contestant  who  failed  to  get  her 
ball  into  the  basket  with  the  first  throw.  As  the  witty  mem- 
ber of  the  group  happened  to  come  from  the  toilet  goods 
department,  the  remarks  were  apt  to  have  a  cosmetic  flavor. 

"Why  didn't  you  get  it  over  the  way  you  sell  soap?"  or 
"  She  sells  the  best  hair  tonic  in  New  York."  The  play 
seemed  such  an  excellent  antidote  for  labor  in  that  "  stop 
gap  "  period  preceding  marriage  that  I  was  shocked  to  hear 
the  instructor  announce  after  a  particularly  sportsman-like 
throw,  "  This  lady  is  a  grandmother."  Then  to  our  amaze- 
ment she  continued :  "  Five  members  of  the  class  are 
mothers  and  they  have  their  children  in  the  room  watching 
them  play."  It  was  not  a  suitable  time  to  ask  the  ages  of 
the  class  members  but  I  learned  afterwards  that  only  three 


132  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

were  under  the  fatal  line  marked  "  twenty-three,"  one  had 
been  in  that  store  twenty-five  years  and  several  others  were 
approaching  the  autumn  of  life  which  the  before-mentioned 
grandmother  had  reached.  .  .  . 

One  of  the  three  men  present  was  an  authority  from  Co- 
lumbia University,  who  said  first  that  he  had  not  had  so 
much  fun  for  months,  and  second  that  the  class  beat  the 
average  college  girl  in  posture  and  in  goal-throwing. 

At  ten  o'clock,  after  an  hour  and  a  half  of  constant  activ- 
ity, one  of  the  girls  who  was  asked  if  she  were  not  tired 
said,  "  No,  indeed,  I  always  come  tired  but  this  rests  me." 

The  one  question  asked  by  the  authority  from  Columbia 
was,  "  Are  not  these  women  in  exceptionally  good  health  ?  " 
They  are,  but  how  much  of  their  vitality  is  due  to  good 
wages,  which  mean  good  food  and  comfortable  homes ;  how 
much  to  exceptionally  sanitary  conditions  in  the  store ;  how 
much  to  the  daily  exercises  which  many  of  them  take  under 
direction;  and  how  much  to  the  prophylactic  value  of  play? 
Who  knows? 

Musical  Interests 

Choral  and  instrumental  music  have  been  introduced 
in  a  number  of  stores  as  a  group  interest.  Marshall 
Field  in  Chicago  and  Strawbridge  and  Clothier  in 
Philadelphia  have  quite  remarkable  choruses  which 
give  public  performances  of  a  high  order.  The  Wana- 
maker  stores  in  both  New  York  and  Philadelphia  have 
bands,  and  Filene  in  Boston  has  an  excellent  orchestra. 
The  musicians  are  drawn  from  among  the  employees 
of  the  store.  These  are  but  a  few  notable  instances 
out  of  many  in  which  music  has  been  made  a  factor  in 
store  social  life.  Music  not  only  contributes  to  social 
good  feeling,  but  has  certain  very  definite  values  in 


WELFARE  AND  SOCIAL  INTERESTS         133 

bringing  out  necessary  business  traits.  It  is  well 
worth  trying  as  a  part  of  the  social  program  of  any 
store  that  wishes  to  have  the  interest  of  its  employees 
depend  on  something  more  than  the  weekly  wage. 

Entertainments  and  Parties 

Dancing  parties  and  entertainments  are  much  more 
incidental.  They  are  pleasant  ways  in  which  store 
people  may  become  acquainted  with  each  other  and 
make  a  break  in  some  very  dreary  lives,  but  they  do  not 
necessarily  create  social  group  feeling  in  the  store. 
Girls  will  often  bring  their  own  escorts  to  such  parties 
and  have  little  to  do  with  their  fellow-employees. 
Some  of  them  resent  any  connection  between  their 
business  and  social  life,  and  feel  that  there  is  a  species 
of  patronage  in  store  entertainments.  Figure  5  shows 
a  group  of  girls  on  a  summer  half-holiday  outing. 

Mutual  Benefit  and  Insurance  Plans 

The  relation  of  the  director  to  the  third  division  of 
welfare  work  is  less  direct.  Mutual  benefit  and  insur- 
ance plans  and  co-operative  associations  have  actually 
been  planned  by  the  store  management.  They  touch 
the  economic  side  and  must  be  handled  very  wisely 
and  squarely  or  they  will  do  more  harm  than  good. 
It  is  unnecessary  to  recall  some  recent  cases  where  a 
mutual  benefit  association  became  involved  in  the 
financing  of  the  store  and  large  sums  of  money  belong- 


134  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

ing  to  the  employees  were  lost  in  the  store's  failure. 
Any  insurance  plans  which  call  upon  the  employees 
for  assessments  or  other  financial  support  should  be 
managed  by  a  board  or  committee  responsible  to  the 
employees  themselves,  and  any  contributions  from  the 
management  should  be  made  freely  as  a  legitimate  item 
of  business  expenditure.  A  joint  board  may  be  ad- 
visable, but  the  employees  should  never  feel  that  it  is 
controlled  by  the  management. 

Co-operative  Associations 

Co-operative  associations  may  be  quite  outside  of 
the  store  life  and  concerned  merely  with  providing  the 
members  with  opportunities  for  wholesale  buying  of 
goods  not  carried  by  the  store,  or  they  may  have  a 
definite  part  in  store  management.  The  grievance 
committee  is  usually  the  opening  wedge  for  employee 
co-operation.  A  number  of  stores  now  have  these 
committees  composed  of  employees  who  meet  regu- 
larly and  have  power  to  reinstate  discharged  fellow- 
employees  as  well  as  to  make  rules  for  the  manage- 
ment of  the  restaurant,  rest  rooms,  and  other  employee 
interests. 

Illustrations  of  Employee  Participation 

Among  stores  where  employee  participation  has 
been  carried  very   far  are  Altman's  in  New  York, 


WELFARE  AND  SOCIAL  INTERESTS         135 

Filene's  in  Boston,  and  Sel fridge's  in  London.  In  the 
latter  store  the  committee,  to  which  each  department 
elects  a  member,  is  called  a  "  staff  council."  This 
council  meets  periodically  to  discuss  details,  criticize 
matters  which  can  be  improved,  and  propose  new  rules. 
The  management  has  found  no  difficulty  in  accepting 
without  change  the  conclusions  at  which  the  staff  coun- 
cil has  arrived.  Thus  the  employees  practically  make 
the  general  rules  of  the  house.  No  disagreement  is 
allowed  to  become  a  so-called  grievance,  because,  be- 
fore that  point  can  have  been  reached,  the  matter  has 
been  discussed  and  settled  by  the  staff's  ow^n  council. 

Filene  in  Boston  has  successfully  carried  out  both 
the  idea  of  the  council  and  of  the  co-operative  store, 
but  the  most  interesting  feature  of  these  two  experi- 
ments is  the  conference  on  cases  of  dismissal  and  other 
management  and  employment  questions. 

Few,  if  any,  store  executives  are  ready  to  go  so  far 
as  Selfridge  and  Filene  have  done  in  this  respect,  but 
there  is  a  growing  desire  for  a  better  understanding 
and  greater  co-operation,  so  that  the  store  may  be  a 
united  organization  instead  of  a  collection  of  units 
more  or  less  antagonistic  with  constant  friction  and 
waste  of  energy. 

Necessity  for  Co-ordinating  Interests 
Much  has  been  said  of  the  waste  of  time  and  mate- 


136  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

rial  in  the  department  store,  but  there  is  no  waste  or 
lost  motion  comparable  to  that  which  is  due  to  the  lack 
of  co-ordination  between  the  different  parts  of  the 
store  machinery.  The  educational  director  cannot  put 
her  own  time  and  energy  into  any  great  number  of 
social  activities  or  co-operative  movements,  but  in  her 
general  educational  plan  she  must  have  a  vision  of 
these  relationships  and  use  her  influential  position  to 
foster,  if  not  to  direct  them. 

The  good  effect  of  social  organization  will  often  be 
apparent  before  educational  work  begins  to  tell,  and 
the  two  should  develop  harmoniously. 

The  Store  Paper 

The  educational  director  has  a  very  immediate  in- 
terest in  the  store  paper.  Nearly  all  stores  which  try 
to  cultivate  social  feeling  or  do  any  constructive  work 
among  the  employees  feel  the  need  of  a  store  paper. 

This  paper  gives  the  dates  of  athletic  or  club  events 
and  items  of  personal  interest.  It  usually  has  a  semi- 
literary  flavor  and  is  a  medium  for  good  advice  from 
the  management.  It  should  also  be  the  organ  of  the 
educational  department,  which  needs  it  perhaps  more 
than  anything  else  in  the  store. 

The  director  should  not  carry  the  whole  responsibil- 
ity of  such  a  paper  herself.  The  more  people  there  are 
who  are  personally  interested  in  its  success,  the  better. 


WELFARE  AND  SOCIAL  INTERESTS        137 

It  should  have  the  backing  of  the  buyers  and  encourage 
department  rivalry  for  news,  but  the  director  should 
have  her  page  or  section  in  which  the  educational  work 
is  kept  constantly  before  the  store  public,  so  that  those 
who  have  been  in  former  classes  are  not  allowed  to  lose 
their  interest.  It  is  another  tool  with  which  she  builds 
her  educational  house. 

Forms  of  Store  Papers 

The  store  paper  will  undoubtedly  take  its  color  from 
the  store  management  and  reflect  store  policy  as  inter- 
preted by  the  editorial  staff,  but  it  soon  begins  to  shape 
opinion  in  the  management  and  among  the  employees 
through  this  editorial  selection  and  interpretation.  It 
is  interesting  to  glance  over  a  group  of  representative 
store  papers. 

One  is  little  more  than  an  advertising  sheet,  con- 
cerning itself  chiefly  with  sales  and  merchandise,  but 
containing  a  few  interesting  notes  for  employees. 

Another  specializes  on  inspirational  talks  and  store 
loyalty  combined  with  news  of  store  events  and  wel- 
fare notes. 

Another  is  the  product  of  the  management  and  seeks 
to  give  employees  the  history  and  business  ideals  of  the 
firm  with  suggestions  for  their  own  advancement. 

Others  are  leaflets  of  the  educational  department  of 
a  store  and  interesting  from  that  viewpoint. 


138  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

Example  of  a  Successful  Store  Paper 

One  of  the  oldest  and  best  store  papers  has  a  large 
and  representative  staff,  which  insures  its  success  as  a 
genuine  "  organ  "  of  the  store.  There  are  seven  edi- 
tors of  this  paper,  all  of  them  in  positions  connected 
with  general  store  management,  accounting,  or  adver- 
tising. The  staff  of  reporters  has  thirty-one  members 
including  representatives  from  twenty-five  merchandise 
departments,  five  from  the  office  and  executive  staff, 
and  one  from  the  operating  department. 

A  recent  .number  of  this  paper  had  the  following 
varied  contents : 

Five  groups  of  short  department  notes. 

Announcements  and  reports  of  two  parties,  a 
baseball  dinner,  and  a  concert  —  all  of  them 
store  activities. 

Notices  of  a  campaign  for  members  for  the  ath- 
letic association  and  the  relief  association,  and 
news  of  store  clubs. 

Three  educational  items,  of  which  two  in  narra- 
tive style  described  the  value  of  store  service 
and  knowledge  of  merchandise,  and  the  third,  a 
list  of  questions,  showed  the  scope  of  the  edu- 
cational department. 

Scattered  through  the  paper  were  editorial  notes  and 
exchanges  which  were  inspirational  and  suggestive. 


WELFARE  AND  SOCIAL  INTERESTS        139 

Such  a  paper  as  this  could  be  pubHshed  only  in  a 
store  which  had  well-estabhshed  social  and  educational 
departments,  but  for  such  a  store  it  is  indispensable. 
The  difficulty  in  assembling  large  numbers  of  em- 
ployees at  any  one  time  during  business  hours,  and  the 
varied  interests  of  the  different  departments,  make 
such  a  medium  for  the  interchange  of  news  and  opin- 
ion necessary.  This  paper  is  "  edited  by  and  in  the 
interest  of  the  employees  of  Strawbridge  and  Clothier 
and  published  for  them  on  the  fifteenth  of  each  month, 
in  the  hope  of  promoting  the  general  welfare  and 
bringing  each  into  closer  relation  with  all," 

Director's  Connection  with  Store  Paper 

A  director  who  is  encouraging  the  first  publication 
of  a  store  paper  must  not  be  too  ambitious  as  to  the 
variety  and  quantity  of  its  material,  but  she  should 
try  to  have  it  well-balanced,  so  that  it  will  appeal  to  all 
departments  and  be  representative  of  all.  As  in  her 
other  relations  with  the  store  activities,  she  is  in  the 
position  of  an  umpire  or  referee  who  has  no  favorites 
and  who  is  interested  in  the  whole  more  than  in  the 
separate  parts,  so  that  she  can  trust  to  a  general  belief 
in  her  fairness  and  wisdom. 


Chapter  XII 

EMPLOYMENT,  PLACEMENT,  AND 
PROMOTION 

Position  of  the  Director 

The  relation  of  the  educational  director  to  questions 
of  employment,  placement,  and  promotion  is  a  very- 
important  one.  No  incentive  for  better  work  can  be 
given  unless  there  are  just  rewards  for  improvement, 
and  no  broad  system  of  training  can  continue  unless 
it  has  a  close  connection  with  the  machinery  of  organ- 
ization. 

The  educational  system  in  a  store  does  not  exist  for 
its  own  sake,  but  for  the  betterment  of  business  condi- 
tions for  employer  and  employee  alike.  The  director 
must  therefore  stand  in  the  position  of  adviser  to  those 
who  control  the  employment  and  placement  of  new 
people.  She  should  be  something  more  than  an  ad- 
viser in  matters  of  transfer  and  promotion  which  must 
be  integral  parts  of  the  store's  educational  policy. 

Attitude  of  Management  Toward  Labor  Turnover 

The  educational  director  should  have  a  clear  idea  of 

140 


EMPLOYMENT  PROBLEMS  141 

what  the  labor  turnover  is,  since  the  desirability  of 
training  department  store  employees  has  been  more 
seriously  questioned  because  of  the  prevailing  high 
labor  turnover  in  the  store  than  for  any  other  reason. 
It  is  the  argument  chiefly  used  by  store  managements 
against  the  development  of  an  educational  department. 
The  director,  therefore,  must  be  ready  to  meet  the  ar- 
gument and  to  refute  it. 

The  management  holds  that  employees  remain  in  the 
work  only  two  or  three  years  and  change  their  posi- 
tions two  or  three  times  during  that  period.  This 
statement  may  be  disproved  by  referring  to  statistics 
in  Chapter  IH.  Even  where  some  notion  of  education 
has  taken  root,  the  same  arguments  are  used  to  urge 
the  director  to  put  the  emphasis  on  quick  results  and 
short  cuts  which  interfere  seriously  with  any  attempts 
to  reach  high  standards ;  whereas  the  high  labor  turn- 
over is  actually  one  of  the  strongest  reasons  for  having 
an  educational  department.  If  the  director  under- 
stands the  full  significance  of  the  term  her  answer  to 
objections  is  convincing. 

How  to  Estimate  the  Turnover 

The  following  definition  was  given  by  the  19 17  com- 
mittee on  employment  of  the  National  Association  of 
Corporation  Schools :  "  The  turnover  is  the  change 
in  the  personnel  of  any  working  force  that  is  brought 


142  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

about  by  hiring  and  terminating  the  service  either  by- 
resignation  or  dismissal  of  employees." 

It  is  estimated  by  dividing  the  average  number  of 
employees  on  the  pay-roll  in  a  given  period,  into  the 
total  number  v^ho  terminated  their  employment  in  the 
same  period.  For  example,  if  in  an  establishment 
employing  an  average  of  i,ooo  employees,  500  termi- 
nated their  services  during  the  period,  the  turnover  is  50 
per  cent.  The  percentage  is  reckoned  usually  on  an 
annual  basis. 

Reasons  for  the  High  Rate  of  Turnover 

The  department  store's  very  high  rate  is  due  to 
causes  more  or  less  inherent  in  the  business,  but  not  so 
uncontrollable  as  they  have  seemed,  namely: 

1.  It  shares  the  disadvantages  of  a  partly  seasonal 
trade.  At  certain  times  in  the  year  the  force  in  some 
stores  is  almost  doubled. 

2.  Its  requirements  are  so  uncertain  that  it  attracts 
the  unskilled  workers,  w^ho  always  form  an  unstable 
and  unsatisfactory  group. 

3.  The  lines  of  promotion  are  normal,  but  there  is 
such  a  lack  of  co-ordination  between  store  departments 
that  employees  do  not  know  how  to  take  advantage  of 
the  opportunities  and  therefore  often  become  discour- 
aged. 

The  store  shares  with  all  industry  losses  due  to  dis- 


EMPLOYMENT  PROBLEMS  143 

satisfaction  with  wages,   hours,   working  conditions, 
and  to  ill-health. 

The  educational  director  should  not  be  discouraged 
by  the  negative  arguments,  but  be  ready  to  show  the 
store  the  cost  of  this  excessive  turnover,  irrespective 
of  special  training  and  also  to  make  suggestions  as  to 
how  it  may  be  reduced. 

Cost  of  a  Turnover 

The  cost  of  a  turnover  usually  varies  according  to 
the  skill  required  in  a  given  position,  yet  one  railroad 
corporation  estimated  that  it  cost  $60  to  make  even  an 
experienced  trackman,  so  that  each  one  lost  after  six 
months'  experience  amounted  to  a  loss  of  $60  to  the 
company. 

The  cost  of  bringing  any  employee  to  efficiency  must 
include : 

1.  Hiring,  including  the  time  of  high  salaried  men. 

2.  Instruction,  necessary  time  of  superior  (if  there 

is  no  class  work). 

3.  Reduced  production  or  effectiveness. 

4.  Additional  waste;  in  the  case  of  salespeople  this 

would  include  errors  of  all  kinds. 

5.  Greater  percentage  of  overhead  expense. 

If  the  expenses  of  systematized  training  are  to  be 
added  to  these  costs,  the  latter  will  be  increased  by  the 


144  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

actual  cost  of  the  training,  but  lessened  by  reduction  of 
waste  and  increased  effectiveness  of  employees.  The 
director  should  be  prepared  to  prove  that  the  turnover 
can  be  steadily  lessened  by : 

1.  A  better  handling  of  employment. 

2.  More  intelligent  placement. 

3.  A  definite  system  of  wage  increases  and  promo- 

tion. 

Necessity  for  a  Better  Handling  of  Employment 

In  a  very  large  number  of  stores  the  hiring  of  new 
employees  is  made  a  side  issue  in  a  department  already 
overloaded  with  work.  Sometimes  it  is  the  store 
superintendent's  duty,  and  if  the  work  is  not  delegated 
to  an  assistant,  it  must  be  crowded  into  a  couple  of 
hours  a  day,  with  constant  interruptions  from  people 
who  feel  that  they  have  a  prior  claim  on  the  superin- 
tendent's time. 

The  timid  applicant  fills  out  a  blank,  receives  a  few 
minutes  of  preoccupied  attention,  is  assigned  to  a  de- 
partment where  help  is  needed,  and  is  then  forgotten. 
If  he  or  she  remains  long  enough  with  the  firm  to 
acquire  a  definite  personality  and  rating,  there  may  be 
opportunities  for  proper  placement  and  promotion. 

Hundreds  of  employees,  however,  slip  through  the 
store  and  out  again  every  year  without  having  an  op- 
portunity to  know  what  they  can  do  or  receiving  any 


EMPLOYMENT  PROBLEMS  145 

incentive  to  do  their  best  work.  The  store  makes  some 
inquiries  as  to  honesty,  good  character,  and  experience, 
but  there  is  no  follow-up  work  or  observation  to  see 
whether  the  first  conditions  of  employment  were 
favorable  or  the  first  casual  placement  was  successful. 

The  Employment  Department 

Every  large  store  should  have  an  employment  de- 
partment, well-organized,  efficient,  and  closely  asso- 
ciated with  the  educational  and  welfare  work.  It 
naturally  falls  under  the  management  of  the  educa- 
tional department,  but  need  not  be  under  its  control,  so 
long  as  there  is  harmony  between  the  two.  The  edu- 
cational director  and  the  head  of  the  employment  de- 
partment should  work  harmoniously  and  construct 
plans  and  policies  together,  in  order  to  secure  coher- 
ence in  the  work  and  life  of  the  store. 

The  employment  department  should  have  complete 
records  of  each  employee  on  file,  including: 

Application  blank. 
Placement. 
Duties. 

Reports  of  superiors. 

Employee's   own    statements   concerning   depart- 
ment work  and  working  conditions. 
Wage  increases. 
Promotions. 


146  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

In  case  of  resignation  or  discharge,  the  reasons 
for  such  action. 

Records  of  departments,  especially  sales  depart- 
ments, should  also  be  kept,  so  that  a  heavy  turnover 
may  be  marked  and  checked. 

Systems  for  Testing  of  Employees 

Employment  managers  should  have  some  training  in 
the  estimation  of  character  and  should  use  it.  There 
are  a  number  of  systems  of  "  character  analysis " 
which  may  be  helpful,  but  none  of  them  are  yet 
stamped  w^ith  authority  by  the  approval  of  experienced 
executives.  The  method  seems  to  be  a  development, 
says  Dean  Schneider,  of  the  old  idea  of  phrenology. 
Dean  Schneider  and  others  at  the  College  of  Engineer- 
ing tried  it  out  on  people  they  knew,  with  decidedly 
negative  results.  They  found  men  possessing  the 
physical  characteristics  that  ought  to  make  them  ex- 
ecutives, but  these  men  were  anything  but  executives. 
"  We  were  forced  to  the  conclusion,"  he  declares, 
"  that  this  system  was  not  reliable." 

Psychological  tests  as  to  reactions,  habits  of 
thought,  types  of  ability,  and  physiological  compari- 
sons are  worth  while  if  they  can  be  made  scientifically 
and  if  there  is  an  abundance  of  material  sufficient  to 
allow  the  employment  manager  to  choose  and  reject  as 


EMPLOYMENT  PROBLEMS  147 

he  will,  but  the  demand  for  rapid  decisions  and  the 
small  number  of  satisfactory  applicants  for  depart- 
ment store  positions  will  not  encourage  this  detailed 
work  for  some  time  to  come. 

Each  manager  must  work  out  his  own  system  with 
due  reference  to  the  experience  of  others  and  realizing 
that  much  of  the  youthful  material  which  comes  to 
him  is  still  unformed  and  will  be  made  or  unmade  by 
the  early  years  of  business  life.  The  employment 
manager  must  not  have  too  strong  a  belief  in  heredity 
or  early  environment.  He  must  steer  clear  of  types, 
judging  as  well  as  he  can  by  personality,  manner,  and 
especially  voice,  and  trust  the  rest  to  training. 

Use  of  the  Application  Blank 

The  application  blank,  if  it  is  intelligently  planned, 
will  tell  much  of  the  story.  It  should  require  not  only 
the  usual  statements  as  to  birth,  parentage,  education, 
and  experience,  but  some  questions  to  test  the  appli- 
cant's fitness  for  the  particular  job.  An  excellent  test 
for  judgment  and  some  other  qualifications  is  a  ques- 
tion demanding  self -analysis,  for  example  the  follow- 
ing: 

"  Why  do  you  consider  yourself  a  desirable  appli- 
cant ?  "  or  **  Please  state  fully  the  qualifications  you 
have  for  the  positions  for  which  you  have  applied." 

The  director  who  asked  these  questions  considered 


148  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

them  the  most  important  on  the  slip.  If  the  applicant 
was  honest  he  would  give  his  own  opinion  of  himself, 
and  even  if  this  were  wrong  it  helped  to  check  up  other 
judgments.  If  he  was  dishonest  it  also  helped  to 
grade  him. 

Introducing  the  New  Employee  to  the  Store 

One  of  the  first  conditions  to  receive  attention  is  the 
applicant's  state  of  mind  when  he  or  she  first  enters 
the  store.  Many  a  young  girl  is  discouraged  at  the 
very  beginning  and  will  leave  when  her  first  week  or 
month  is  up,  if  she  is  not  forced  by  necessity  to  remain. 
If  she  happens  to  be  placed  in  the  wrong  position  she 
knows  nothing  of  the  store  organization  and  is  unable 
to  see  any  places  where  possible  changes  might  be 
made. 

The  National  Cash  Register  Company  has  a  system 
which  puts  the  new  employees  immediately  in  touch 
with  the  organization  and  makes  them  feel  a  part  of  it. 
Department  stores  might  well  adapt  the  method  to 
their  own  purposes.  In  the  first  hour  spent  with  the 
company  the  work  done  for  employees  is  outlined  by 
slides  and  motion  pictures,  supplemented  by  a  book  de- 
fining the  things  which  will  help  them  to  become  iden- 
tified with  the  organization.  When  thirty  or  forty 
girls  are  hired  in  a  morning  they  are  taken  to  the 
matron  in  charge  of  the  social  work,  so  that  they  may 


EMPLOYMENT  PROBLEMS  149 

become  acquainted.     The  matron  takes  them  to  their 
departments  and  introduces  them. 

Intelligent  Placement  Based  on  Job  Analysis 

There  is  another  side  to  the  question  of  proper  place- 
ment of  an  employee  and  that  is  proper  job  analysis. 

As  a  rule  the  employment  manager  has  but  a  vague 
idea  of  the  requirements  of  a  position;  therefore,  he 
cannot  tell  what  kind  of  applicants  will  fit.  Too  often 
his  ideas  are  so  general  and  the  jobs  are  so  unstandard- 
ized  that  no  intelligent  placement  of  the  employee  can 
be  made. 

The  educational  director  has  some  exceptional  ad- 
vantages with  respect  to  knowing  the  job.  The  as- 
sistance and  advice  of  the  director  are  becoming  essen- 
tial in  the  problems  of  placement  as  well  as  in  those  of 
employment. 

After  an  applicant  has  been  placed  according  to  the 
best  knowledge  available  at  the  time,  the  real  work  of 
the  director  begins.  The  new  employee  should  be  im- 
mediately put  in  touch  with  the  educational  depart- 
ment, assigned  to  her  group  among  the  juniors  or  the 
apprentice  salespeople,  and  her  class  work  and  depart- 
ment work  checked  side  by  side.  One  store  sends  to 
the  section  manager  an  appointment  slip  reading 
thus: 


I50  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

Conference  Room 

Section 

Kindly  ask 

to  report  at  the  Conference  Room,  floor,  on 

at The  group  will  meet  on 

,   ,  and  for  

weeks,  beginning  with  that  date. 

Please  emphasize  promptness  in  coming. 

By 

Date 

After  a  certain  period  the  section  manager  is  ques- 
tioned upon  the  employee's  improvement,  and  the  em- 
ployee is  also  questioned  as  to  interest,  choice  of  an- 
other department,  or  other  changes  desired. 

Necessity  for  a  Definite  System  of  Wage  Increases 

When  a  new  employee  enters  the  store  she  should  be 
introduced  into  a  system  which  is  organized  for  her 
normal  advancement.  There  should  be  a  periodical 
rerating  of  everyone  in  the  system,  from  the  messen- 
gers to  the  buyers  or  floor  superintendents.  It  would 
be  well  for  the  store  to  have  a  semiannual  stock-taking 
of  its  human  forces  as  well  as  its  merchandise.  The 
educational  director,  the  employment  manager,  and 
the  store  manager  are  the  logical  members  for  a  com- 
mittee on  promotion. 

One  store  has  been  doing  this  very  thing,  at  least  in 


EMPLOYMENT  PROBLEMS  151 

its  sales  departments,  for  seven  years.  Unusually  de- 
tailed records  are  kept  in  a  series  of  ledgers.  In  one 
of  these  the  records  of  each  salesperson  are  assembled 
by  months,  two  years'  records  on  a  page.  Another 
book  has  the  comparative  records  of  all  the  members 
of  a  department  assembled  for  the  same  period. 
These  books  are  open  to  the  employees  except  that  the 
list  of  names  is  covered  when  the  comparative  record 
is  shown  to  her.  In  January  and  July  of  each  year 
these  records  are  tabulated,  the  sales  quota  and  the  per- 
centage determined,  and  wages  are  fixed  as  the  result 
of  dividing  the  total  sales  by  the  sales  of  each  one  in 
the  department.  There  is  no  distinction  between  the 
wages  of  men  and  women,  but  an  allowance  is  made 
for  extra  stock  work. 

If  a  salesperson's  efficiency  has  increased,  her  salary 
is  automatically  raised.  The  only  exception  to  the 
working  of  the  rule  is  in  the  case  of  an  old  salesperson 
whose  efficiency  has  apparently  decreased.  If  the 
change  is  slight  it  is  passed  over,  as  it  may  be  due  to 
some  temporary  cause.  If  it  is  serious  or  continuous, 
the  salesperson  is  called  to  the  office  and  the  matter 
is  discussed  in  consultation  with  the  buyer  and  the 
floorman.  In  case  there  seems  no  prospect  of  im- 
provement, as  in  cases  of  age  or  failing  health,  the  sug- 
gestion is  made  that  such  employees  resign,  as  the  store 
does  not  wish  to  demote  them.     Sometimes  they  prefer 


152  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

to  take  a  smaller  salary,  which  represents  their  present 
value.  This  phase  of  the  system,  which  seems  over- 
strenuous,  is  really  to  the  advantage  of  the  older  em- 
ployees, as  no  store  can  afford  to  keep  salespeople  who 
do  not  earn  their  salaries,  and  the  other  choice  would 
be  dismissal. 

For  all  members  of  the  force  who  are  capable  of  im- 
provement, this  method  is  manifestly  fair,  since  it  re- 
lieves them  of  the  disagreeable  task  of  reminding  the 
store  of  their  increased  efficiency.  For  the  last  three 
years  this  store  has  also  given  to  each  salesperson 
whose  sales  for  the  twelve  months  ending  December  3 1 
were  in  excess  of  those  for  the  corresponding  period 
of  the  previous  year,  a  cash  bonus  of  i  per  cent  of  the 
increase. 

Many  stores  pay  wages  theoretically  on  a  percentage 
basis,  but  have  a  defective  system.  In  fixing  the  rate 
of  salary  they  establish  a  base  line  which  is  below  the 
probable  sales  of  the  employee  and  is  also  a  lower  wage 
than  the  salesperson  expects  to  earn :  they  then  give  a 
percentage  (usually  2  per  cent)  on  all  sales  over  that 
amount.  The  percentage  for  the  original  base  wage, 
however,  is  more  than  2,  so  that  the  results  are  not 
really  equitable.     For  example,  on  a  3  per  cent  rating : 

The   sales  quota  of  one  girl  is  $300,  and  her 
wage  $9. 


EMPLOYMENT  PROBLEMS  1 53 

The  sales  quota  of  another  girl  is  $200  and  her 

wage  $6. 
But  if   the  second  girl   sells  $300  her  wage  is 

$8. 

If  the  original  percentage  is  4  or  5,  the  difference 
will  be  still  greater. 

In  two  other  respects  the  usual  practice  differs  from 
the  one  mentioned  above :  ( i )  the  rating  is  made  on  the 
basis  of  the  highest  sales  in  the  department  instead  of 
the  average  of  all;  (2)  rerating  and  readjustment  are 
not  regular. 

Promotion 

There  are  two  lines  of  advancement  in  the  depart- 
ment store:  (i)  increased  responsibility  and  wages 
within  the  department;  and  (2)  promotion  to  a  higher 
department.  The  latter  is  often  difficult  to  accom- 
plish because  of  the  jealousy  of  buyers  who  are  very 
loath  to  lose  a  good  salesperson,  even  if  it  is  for  that 
person's  good. 

The  only  way  in  which  advancement  of  the  second 
kind  can  proceed  in  an  orderly  manner  is  by  charting 
the  store,  grouping  the  related  departments,  indicating 
the  line  of  promotion,  and  then  putting  the  whole  mat- 
ter in  the  hands  of  an  impartial  outsider,  such  as  the 
educational  director,  to  see  that  the  changes  are  made. 
This  will  not  win  her  the  approval  of  the  buyers,  and 


154  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

can  be  done  only  with  full  support  of  the  management. 

An  easier  solution  is  reached  when  there  is  a  sep- 
arate employment  department  which  handles  this 
whole  question,  and  to  which  the  director  is  an  ad- 
viser. 

Unless  there  is  provision  for  earned  increases  and 
promotion,  the  educational  department  cannot  retain 
the  good- will  of  the  employees  nor  be  able  to  build  up 
the  proper  standards.  If  the  store  is  to  increase  the 
efficiency  of  its  force  it  must  supply  the  motives  for 
improvement,  while  the  teacher  supplies  the  method 
by  correcting  defects,  developing  ability,  and  giving  a 
background. 

Problem  of  Discharge  and  Resignations  of  Employees 
Besides  the  hiring,  placing,  and  promotion  of  em- 
ployees, there  is  the  further  consideration  of  their  dis- 
charge or  resignation.  This  should  be  studied,  since 
at  the  close  of  every  rush  season  a  certain  number  of 
salespeople  are  dropped  for  no  reason  except  that  the 
store  does  not  need  so  many.  Sometimes  their  work 
has  been  watched  and  found  unsatisfactory,  or  they  do 
not  make  their  sales  quota.  Sometimes  they  are 
merely  the  newer  people  in  overmanned  departments. 
All  through  the  year  employees  leave  voluntarily  to 
seek  other  positions,  but  their  reasons  for  leaving  are 
seldom  asked  or  given.     Some  leave  because  of  ill 


EMPLOYMENT  PROBLEMS  155 

health,  many  go  to  positions  where  they  will  be  better 
paid.  Some  go  just  "  for  a  change,"  wishing  to  break 
the  monotony  of  a  treadmill  existence. 

The  store  should  have  better  records  for  the  first 
group,  those  who  are  dropped,  and  as  complete  records 
as  possible  of  those  who  leave  voluntarily.  Defects  in 
store  management  should  be  discovered  and  remedied, 
even  if  the  individual  employee  is  not  retained.  The 
reasons  will  not  always  be  frankly  given,  but  under  a 
good  system  enough  information  can  be  secured  to 
check  such  leakage  in  many  ways.  Girls  are  very  re- 
sponsive to  the  personal  touch  and  are  not  naturally 
so  restless  as  men.  One  factory  employment  manager 
said  recently :  "  In  factories  where  they  treat  girls 
right  the  turnover  is  much  lower  than  that  of  the  men," 
in  spite  of  the  ones  who  marry. 

Relation  of  Department  Store  Problems  to  Women  in 
Industry 

The  questions  of  employment,  wages,  and  opportu- 
nities for  advancement  of  women  are  very  compli- 
cated, and  yet  their  solution  is  growing  more  pressing 
every  year.  Women  have  not  ceased  to  be  a  special 
problem  in  industry  and  perhaps  never  will  cease  to 
be,  so  long  as  industry  is  carried  on  in  great  congre- 
gate centers  away  from  the  homes  to  which  women 


156  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

will  always  owe  their  first  allegiance.  The  trained 
women  whose  eyes  are  open  to  the  serious  difficulties 
and  whose  sympathies  are  both  feminine  and  sane  are 
imperatively  needed  wherever  large  numbers  of  women 
are  employed. 


Chapter  XIII 

CO-OPERATION  WITH  THE  PUBLIC 
SCHOOLS 

Closer  Relationship  Between  the  Public  School  System 
and  Industry 

The  public  school  system  throughout  the  country  is 
getting  closer  to  industry  and  business,  and  is  at  last 
preparing  to  fit  children  for  trades  and  for  commercial 
hfe,  as  well  as  for  college  and  the  professions. 

The  increasing  co-operation  between  the  schools  and 
the  department  stores  furnishes  inspiration,  as  well  as 
better  material,  to  the  educational  director.  In  return, 
she  can  do  much  to  make  this  relationship  closer,  as 
well  as  to  suggest  the  courses  of  study  which  will  be 
most  helpful. 

The  director  is  glad  to  encourage  the  growing  spirit 
of  helpfulness  in  the  schools,  because  it  is  the  best  pos- 
sible indorsement  of  her  own  ideals.  Even  a  brief  and 
general  statement  of  the  director's  task  shows  that  her 
work  is  very  comprehensive,  not  only  because  of  the 
many  diverse  needs  of  the  store  organization,  but  also 

157 


158  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

because  of  the  constant  need  of  supplementing  the  de- 
ficient general  education  of  the  employees.  Her  task 
would  be  wonderfully  simplified  if  she  had  a  better 
trained  group  to  begin  with. 

The  high  school's  growing  interest  in  the  subject  of 
salesmanship  is  therefore  of  great  importance.  One 
of  the  most  encouraging  aspects  of  the  present  sit- 
uation is  the  disposition  on  the  part  of  the  school  au- 
thorities to  treat  department  store  work  seriously  and 
to  set  definite  educational  standards  for  those  who 
would  enter  it. 

The  commercial  courses  of  the  high  school  which 
.taught  stenography,  bookkeeping,  and  other  office 
work  are  now  being  supplemented,  if  not  supplanted, 
by  practical  and  definite  business  courses.  In  some 
cities  there  is  still  a  close  connection  by  which  stores 
and  schools  actually  co-operate  in  the  training. 

How  the  Public  School  Co-operates  with  the  Depart- 
ment Store 

The  school  enters  the  store  through  the  continuation 
classes. 

The  store  becomes  a  part  of  the  school  through  the 
part-time  co-operating  classes. 

The  continuation  classes  have  been  established  in 
many  cities  where  child  labor  laws  are  enforced.  In 
some  states  those  children  who  are  given  working  cer- 


CO-OPERATION  WITH  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS       159 

tificates  at  fourteen  are  still  required  to  have  at  least 
four  hours  of  instruction  per  week  on  the  employer's 
time,  unless  they  have  completed  the  grammar  school 
work. 

In  other  states  continuation  classes  are  not  oblig- 
atory, but  the  power  of  decision  is  left  with  the  school 
board  and  the  employers.  The  classes  in  these  states 
seem  to  be  installed  just  as  quickly  as  teachers  can  be 
found  and  arrangements  made.  Store  time  for  the 
study  of  elementary  arithmetic,  English,  and  geography 
is  readily  given. 

Shortcomings  of  High  School  Courses 

Some  employers  consider  children  who  enter  the 
store  at  fourteen  or  fifteen  more  promising  than  those 
who  have  had  several  years  in  high  school.  The 
younger  children  are  often  more  ambitious  and  under- 
stand the  business  better  when  they  begin  in  the  stock 
room. 

There  are  two  reasons  for  this  belief.  First,  the 
curriculum  of  the  high  school  has  led  directly  away 
from  business,  so  that  the  high  school  graduate  has 
been  actually  less  fitted  for  it  by  his  immediate  interests 
and  mental  habits  than  when  he  left  the  grammar 
school.  Arithmetic,  geography,  penmanship,  simple 
English,  and  all  grammar  school  studies  are  needed  in 
the  store,  but  algebra,  Latin,  and  ancient  history  are 


i6o  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

not  vital  subjects.  Second,  even  the  high  school  boys 
and  girls  who  have  taken  commercial  courses  have  not 
planned  to  go  into  department  store  work  and,  if  they 
have  done  so,  it  has  been  because  they  have  failed  in 
something  else.  The  occupation  of  selling  goods  has 
been  considered  a  low-grade  and  "  dead-end  "  job, 
quite  beneath  the  attention  of  the  high  school  pupils. 

While  no  cultural  study  would  be  useless  if  given 
in  its  right  relation  to  business,  the  emphasis  has 
hitherto  been  placed  on  those  subjects  which  make  a 
boy  or  girl  care  only  for  professional  life.  Now  the 
problem  is  being  viewed  from  a  different  angle  and  the 
cultural  subjects  which  are  necessary  in  a  thoroughly 
adequate  business  education  are  taught  in  connection 
with  business  courses. 

Moreover,  the  high  school  is  mending  its  ways  and 
has  given  attention  to  business  as  a  real  subject,  for 
which  courses  must  be  definitely  planned  and  to  which 
the  general  curriculum  must  be  adjusted.  Definite 
efforts  are  being  made  to  show  that  salesmanship  is  a 
highly  skilled  occupation,  that  opportunities  for  ad- 
vancement are  really  greater  than  in  office  work. 

Co-operative  High  School  Classes 

The  most  promising  situation  has  developed  where 
the  co-operative  classes  have  been  organized  in  the  high 
school.     These  classes  give  boys  and  girls  an  oppor- 


CO-OPERATION  WITH  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS       l6l 

tunity  to  spend  a  part  of  their  time  in  the  store  and  a 
part  in  the  school.  The  school  aim  is  to  keep  in 
touch  with  their  store  work  and  to  give  courses  in 
salesmanship  and  merchandise  to  make  them  efficient 
salespeople. 

The  Boston  Plan 

For  a  number  of  years  Boston  has  had  this  plan 
in  operation.  The  high  school  seniors  are  allowed 
to  spend  Monday,  as  well  as  Saturday,  of  each  week 
in  the  store.     Courses  have  been  planned  as  follows: 

Boston  High  Schools 

Course  in  Business  Organization  and  Salesmanship 
Elective:  Open  to  High  School  Seniors  and  Graduates 

I.  Salesmanship — (3  points) 

(a)  General  Salesmanship  Subjects 

Department  store  organization  and  system. 
Demonstration  of  selling  in  class  —  with  class 

criticism. 
Class    conference    on    important    salesmanship 

subjects:  Care  of  Stock;   Service;  Waste  in 

Business,  etc. 
Practical  experience  in  stores. 
Store    experience    discussions;    application    of 

basal  principles. 
Individual  conferences  as  a  result  of  teachers' 

follow-up  work. 

(b)  Arithmetic 

Sales  slip  practice  and  store  system. 
Drill  in  addition,  multiplication,  fractions,  per- 
centage. 
Business  forms. 


1 62  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

(c)  Economics 

Meaning  of  capital  and  wages. 
Relation  of  expenditure  to  income. 
The  spending  of  money. 
The  saving  of  money. 

(d)  Business  Ethics 

Relation  of  conduct,  hygiene,  clothing,  recre- 
ation, and  use  of  leisure  time  to  a  business 
position. 

II.  Textiles —  (3  points) 

Intensive  study  of  fibers :  Wool,  Silk,  Cotton,  Linen. 
Manufacture  —  factory  visits. 
Fabrics. 

Transportation   and   industrial   conditions  in   relation 
to  cost. 

III.  Color  and  Design —  (i  point) 

As  applied  to  clothing,   furnishings,  and  other  mer- 
chandise exhibits ;  display. 

The  Cincinnati  System 

Cincinnati  has  developed  a  different  system  whereby 
the  high  school  students  are  paired  in  the  co-operative 
classes.  Each  boy  or  girl  goes  to  school  one  week 
and  into  the  store  the  next.  A  double  class  is  thus 
kept  going  throughout  the  year  and  each  group  has 
twenty  instead  of  forty  weeks  of  school. 

The  New  York  Plan 

New  York  City  has  adopted  this  second  plan  and  has 
gone  the  farthest  perhaps  in  giving  it  a  sound  educa- 
tional basis.  According  to  the  New  York  plan  the 
first  year  of  the  high  school  is  undisturbed,  but  in  the 


CO-OPERATION  WITH  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS       163 

second  and  third  years  of  the  course  the  co-operative 
system  is  used.  The  pupils  are  thus  given  three  years 
of  cultural  and  vocational  training,  during  two  of 
which  they  are  able  to  earn  from  $10  to  $15  a  month 
or  even  more.  It  is  thought  that  this  plan  solves  the 
problem  of  the  scholar  who  would  otherwise  leave 
school  at  the  end  of  the  first  year,  either  for  economic 
reasons  or  because  of  the  stronger  appeal  of  the  busi- 
ness life. 

The  course  of  study  and  the  syllabus  worked  out  for 
this  group  and  now  in  operation  in  the  New  York 
schools  are  given  in  detail  in  the  following  chapter,  be- 
cause of  the  relation  to  the  whole  subject  of  the  train- 
ing for  department  store  salesmanship.  They  indicate 
the  wide  scope  of  the  field  which  the  educational  direc- 
tor must  cover  to  the  best  of  her  ability  in  the  store. 
This  outline  was  prepared  in  consultation  with  educa- 
tional directors  of  stores  and  the  Director  of  Depart- 
ment Store  Courses  at  New  York  University.  The 
plan  of  the  work  has  received  the  approval  of  the  City 
Superintendent  and  has  been  assigned  credits  by  the 
State  Board  of  Regents. 


Chapter  XIV 

OUTLINE  FOR  A  COURSE  IN  THE  PUBLIC 
SCHOOLS  — THE  NEW  YORK  PLAN 

How  the  Educational  Director  May  Help 

In  Chapter  XIII  the  general  problem  of  co-operation 
between  stores  and  schools  was  discussed.  The  New 
York  system  has  been  fully  and  carefully  worked  out 
and  is  here  given  in  detail.  It  seems  essential,  never- 
theless, to  discuss  the  present  situation  at  greater 
length,  to  explain  the  different  conditions  and  needs  in 
both  store  and  school  which  must  be  met  by  the  courses 
outlined. 

The  first  essential  is  harmonious  understanding  be- 
tween the  school  board  and  the  store  management  — 
usually  represented  by  the  educational  director.  In 
most  cities  school  co-operation  is  just  beginning  and 
the  educational  directors  of  the  stores  may  do  much 
to  direct  the  courses  intelligently.  The  Boston  stores 
are  co-operating  in  a  system  of  training  their  own  em- 
ployees through  the  Boston  School  of  Salesmanship. 

A  number  of  New  York  stores  have  now  formed  a 

164 


CO-OPERATION  IN  NEW  YORK  SCHOOLS       165 

Department  Store  Educational  Council,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  co-operating  in  a  similar  way  with  the  Board 
of  Education.  Other  cities  will  doubtless  adapt  the 
same  methods  to  their  own  particular  problems. 

Plan  Must  Be  Mutually  Beneficial 

Like  all  perplexing  problems,  the  co-operation  under 
discussion  has  two  sides  and  in  order  to  reach  just  con- 
clusions and  to  maintain  a  good  working  schedule, 
the  theory  must  be  worked  out  for  the  mutual  benefit 
and  advancement  of  both  school  and  store  interests. 
Naturally  the  person  who  can  make  the  co-operative 
plan  effective  is  the  educational  director  of  the  store. 
She  is  in  a  position  to  see  the  relation  from  the  points 
of  view  of  both  the  teacher  and  the  business  woman. 

The  store  is  in  need  of  better  educated  people  on  its 
force.  As  standards  of  salesmanship  are  raised  and 
avenues  of  promotion  are  opened  up,  this  need  becomes 
more  and  more  apparent.  On  the  other  hand,  school 
officials  realize  that  many  of  the  old  occupations  are 
already  crowded,  and  that  those  who  were  going  into 
commercial  life  before  vocational  classes  were  estab- 
lished were  thoroughly  unprepared.  The  educational 
director  may  sometimes  secure  the  interest  of  the  high 
school  through  lectures  given  in  the  store  by  the  Art 
Supervisor,  the  Supervisor  of  Domestic  Art,  or  some- 
one else  whose  vision  is  broad  enough  to  see  and  under- 


1 66  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

stand  the  close  relations  between  business  and  educa- 
tion. 

Even  when  there  is  nothing  more  than  the  contin- 
uation class  to  work  with  and  where  teachers  of  this 
class  have  no  knowledge  of  business  or  store  condi- 
tions, a  bond  of  sympathy  and  interest  has  been 
created  from  which  the  director  may  work  toward 
understanding  and  co-operation.  The  school  has  been 
sufficient  unto  itself  for  so  long  a  time  that  it  is  hard 
for  many  teachers  to  see  its  relation  to  the  working 
life  of  their  boys  and  girls.  They  have  prepared  chil- 
dren for  examinations,  not  for  life.  It  is  a  most  il- 
luminating work  for  some  of  them  to  teach  children 
who  are  already  facing  industrial  competition,  and  the 
effect  on  the  school  will  be  quite  as  marked  as  that  on 
the  store. 

The  New  York  Courses 

During  the  first  year  of  high  school  work  courses 
in  general  science  and  the  principles  of  color  and  de- 
sign are  given  to  those  pupils  who  have  elected  the 
business  course.  The  syllabus  of  the  course  in  gen- 
eral science  is  given  in  full,  because  the  term  general 
science  is  very  comprehensive  and  would  have  very 
little  meaning  without  a  detailed  outline  of  the  course 
as  it  is  actually  presented. 
■  During  the  second  year  a  second  course  in  color  and 


CO-OPERATION  IN  NEW  YORK  SCHOOLS       167 

design  is  given,  in  which  the  work  of  the  first  year  is 
related  to  the  merchandise  sold  in  the  department 
stores.  Throughout  these  courses  in  color  and  design 
the  emphasis  is  placed  upon  appreciation  and  under- 
standing of  art  rather  than  upon  creative  work. 

In  addition  to  the  course  in  color  and  design,  textile 
merchandise  is  studied  during  the  second  year  of  high 
school.  In  the  third  year  a  course  in  non-textile  mer- 
chandise and  one  in  salesmanship  and  business  organ- 
ization are  offered.  When  the  high  school  pupils 
have  completed  these  courses  and  have  had  some  prac- 
tical experience  in  the  store,  they  may  enter  its  or- 
ganization well  prepared  to  display  the  interest,  abil- 
ity, and  intelligence  which  the  suspicious  customer 
hopes  to  find  only  in  the  salesperson  of  her  dreams. 

General  Science 
A  First- Year  High  School  Course 
Purposes:  To  present  to  pupils  some  scientific  conceptions 
and  principles  which  will  serve  as  a  foundation  for  the 
study  of  textile  and  non-textile  merchandise ;  and  to 
give  a  comprehensive  survey  of  related  scientific  infor- 
mation. 

Time:  Five  periods  per  week  during  the  first  year  of  high 
school. 

Method:  The  subject  is  to  be  presented  by: 

1.  The  use  of  text-books  on  general  science  or  by  mimeo- 

graphed notes. 

2.  Demonstration  experiments  performed  by  the  teacher. 

3.  Simple  experiments  performed  by  the  pupils. 


l68  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

4.  The  use  of  illustrative  material. 

First  Term — (20  weeks) 
I.  Mineral  Products 

1.  The  soil 

2.  Minerals 

3.  Physical  properties  of  metals : 

(a)  Elasticity 

(b)  Ductility 

(c)  Malleability 

(d)  Crystallization 

4.  Useful  metals:  tin,  brass,  aluminum,  iron,  copper, 

nickel,  mercury 

5.  Precious  metals:  gold,  silver,  platinum 

6.  Stones 

7.  Clays 

8.  Mineral  oils  and  dyes 

II.  Water  and  Its  Physical  Properties 

1.  Molecules 

2.  Cohesion  and  adhesion 

3.  Surface  tension 

4.  Capillarity 

5.  Liquid  pressure 

6.  Hydraulic  press 

7.  Development   of  water  supply :  well,  pump,  cis- 

tern, etc. 

8.  Water  supply  of  New  York  City 

9.  Water  meter 

10.  Plumbing  and  sewage  disposal 
III.  Air 

1.  Pressure  and  weight 

2.  Barometer 

3.  Air-pump 

4.  Applications  of  atmospheric  pressure:  pneumatic 

tube  system,  vacuum  cleaner,  etc. 
IV.  Machines 

1.  Household  tools  and  their  development 

2.  Advantages  of  machines 


CO-OPERATION  IN  NEW  YORK  SCHOOLS       169 

3.  The  sewing-machine 

4.  Mechanical  motors: 

(a)  Water  wheel 

(b)  Steam  engine 

(c)  Gas  engine 

V.  Vegetable  Products 

1.  Woods  and  straws 

2.  Textile  fibers :  cotton,  flax,  hemp 

3.  Paper:  rag,  wood-pulp 

4.  Vegetable  oils:  linseed,  cotton-seed,  sesame,  pea- 

nut, palm,  cocoanut,  and  cocoa  butter 

5.  Rubber 

6.  Vegetable  dyes :  indigo,  logwood,  etc. 

7.  Paints,  varnishes,  enamels,  lacquers 

VI.  Animal  Products 

1.  Leather 

2.  Fur  and  feathers ;  hair 

3.  Bone,   horn,   ivory 

4.  Animal  fats  and  oils :  beef  tallow,  mutton  tallow, 

lard,  butter,  oleomargarin 

VII,  Foods  and  Their  Values 

1.  Carbohydrates 

2.  Fats 

3.  Proteins 

Second  Term  — (20  weeks) 

VIII.  Acids,  Bases,  and  Salts 

1.  Common  acids 

2.  Common  bases 

3.  Neutralization 

4.  Salts 

5.  Soaps 

6.  Bleaching  and  dyeing 

7.  Preservatives  and  disinfectants 

IX.  Heat 

I.  Combustion:  coal,  wood,  gasoline,  gas 


lyo  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

2.  Cooking  devices:  stove,  bunsen  burner,  gas  stove 

3.  Expansion  and  contraction :  thermometer 

4.  Conduction;  convection;  radiation 

5.  Applications :  fireless  cooker,  thermos  bottle,  re- 

frigerator, clothing 

6.  Ventilation 

7.  Heating  systems 

8.  Water  vapor  in  the  air 

9.  Solution 

ID.  Evaporation 

11.  Distillation 

12.  Freezing  mixtures ;  artificial  ice 

X.  Electricity  and  Magnetism 

1.  Magnets 

2.  Compass 

3.  Batteries 

4.  Electric  bell 

5.  Dynamo  and  motor 

6.  Electric  light 

7.  Electric  flat-iron,  percolator,  etc. 

8.  Electroplating 
g.  Storage   battery 

10.  Telephone 

XI.  Conservation  of  Natural  Resources 

1.  Forests 

2.  Rivers 

3.  Fish 

4.  Mineral  and  soil 

Color  and  Design 

General  Statement 

Purpose:  The  purpose  of  this  course  in  color  and  design  is 
to  train  pupils  in  the  knowledge  of  these  subjects  as 
they  appear  in  different  phases  of  retail  trade.  It  is 
planned  that  through  this  study  the  pupils  shall  come 
to  see  the  universal  application  of  the  laws  of  color  and 
design.    Particularly  it  is  sought  to  train  these  pupils 


CO-OPERATION  IN  NEW  YORK  SCHOOLS       171 

in  taste  through  constant  opportunities,  requiring  them 
to  judge  between  forms  and  colors,  good  and  bad. 

Scope:  The  course  is  to  embrace  theory  and  practice;  it  is 
to  require  systematic  note-taking  by  the  pupils  and 
continuous  free-hand  sketching. 

Time:  Two  periods  a  week  shall  be  given  to  the  subject. 
One-half  of  each  period  shall  be  devoted  to  explanation 
and  demonstration  by  the  teacher,  with  appropriate 
notes  and  drawings  made  by  the  pupils,  while  the  sec- 
ond half  of  each  period  is  given  to  recitations  by  the 
pupils  on  notes  previously  made. 

Methods  of  Study:  The  principles  underlying  the  critical 
study  of  design  and  of  color,  as  these  appear  in  manu- 
factured forms,  shall  be  presented  to  the  pupils  in  suc- 
cinct statements  appropriately  illustrated  by  blackboard 
drawings  by  the  teacher,  and  other  forms  of  graphic 
demonstration.  These  statements  shall  be  entered  by 
the  pupils  in  their  note-books  with  careful  transcripts 
of  the  drawings  made  in  illustration.  Especial  atten- 
tion must  be  given  by  the  teacher  to  insure  clear  and 
accurate  sketches  of  this  description. 

Home-lVork:  Required  home-work  shall  include  the  prepa- 
ration of  recitations  from  pupils'  note-books  and  the 
supplementary  illustration  of  these  note-books  with  illus- 
trations drawn  from  catalogues  and  similar  sources. 
Each  pupil  each  week  shall  be  required  to  submit  a  brief 
critical  analysis  of  examples  of  color  or  design  taken 
from  catalogues  or  other  sources.  The  purpose  of  this 
work  shall  be  to  quicken  the  pupils'  power  of  observa- 
tion, to  stimulate  the  ability  to  compare  good  forms 
with  poor,  and  to  give  practice  in  the  statement  of  the 
reasons  for  preferring  one  example  of  design  or  color 
to  another. 

First  Year 

First  Term — (16  weeks) 

This  term  shall  be  given  to  the  study  of  the  Princi- 


172  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

pies  of  Design :  —  Nature  of  design  defined.  Decorative 
elements  in  all  applied  design.  Definition  of  design 
terms:  balance,  rhythm,  etc.  Interest  in  design  and  its 
creation.  Balance  of  interest,  structure  in  free  and 
architectural  decoration.  Decoration  as  related  to  func- 
tion and  form.  Decorations  violating  structure. 
"  Keeping "  in  design.  Conventionalization  of  design. 
Adaptation  of  pattern  to  material.  Various  materials 
discussed  with  the  nature  of  the  patterns  suitable  to 
each.  Symbolism  in  design.  The  emotional  qualities 
in  design. 

Second  Term — (i6  weeks) 

This  term  shall  be  given  to  the  study  of  the  Princi- 
ples of  Color,  as  applied  to  manufactured  forms :  — 
General  scope  of  color  study.  Definition  of  color  terms. 
Study  of  the  neutral  scale.  Definition  of  values.  De- 
velopment of  neutral  scale.  Development  of  spectrum 
scale.  Study  of  color  intensity.  Different  methods  of 
scaling  by  intensity  and  by  value.  General  principles 
of  color  harmony.  Dominant,  analogous,  and  comple- 
mentary harmony.  Imperfect  color  harmonies  and 
methods  of  harmonizing  crude  color  schemes.  The 
study  of  color  in  manufactured  forms.  Study  of  effects 
of  juxtaposed  colors  and  of  colored  lights  upon  colors. 

Second  Year 

Half  time  in  school ;  half  time  in  store 

First  Term  — (8  weeks) 

This  term  shall  be  given  to  the  study  of  the  Principles 
of  Color  and  Design,  as  these  appear  in  millinery, 
v^^omen's  dress,  and  accessories. 

Second  Term — (8  weeks) 

This  term  shall  be  given  to  the  study  of  the  Principles 
of  Color  and  Design,  as  these  appear  in  decorative  ele- 
ments used  in  the  home,  as  wall-papers  and  hangings, 
carpets  and  rugs,  furniture  and  accessories. 


CO-OPERATION  IN  NEW  YORK  SCHOOLS       173 

Third  Year 

First  Term — (8  weeks) 

This  term  shall  be  given  to  the  study  of  the  Principles 
of  Color  and  Design,  as  these  appear  in  the  manufac- 
tured forms  which  constitute  the  staples  in  retail  trade, 
as  chinaware,  decorated  novelties,  cut  glass,  leather 
goods,    stationery,    silverware,    etc. 

Second  Term  — (8  weeks) 

This  term  shall  be  given  to  a  series  of  practical  dem- 
onstrations in  which  diflferent  pupils  shall  present  to  the 
class  succinct  and  specific  statements  of  the  reasons  for 
preferring  one  example  to  another  in  the  case  of  dress, 
hat,  textile,  manufactured  form,  etc.  The  entire  term 
is  to  be  given  to  dramatizing  situations  in  actual  sales- 
manship, as  these  appear  in  the  daily  work  of  the  sales- 
woman. The  pupils  are  to  be  taught  how  to  address 
the  customer,  how  to  secure  information  in  regard  to 
the  conditions  governing  the  use  of  the  proposed  pur- 
chase, and  how  to  lead  the  customer  to  see  the  propriety 
of  the  better  form. 

The  particular  object  aimed  at  in  the  work  of  this 
term  is  to  show  each  prospective  saleswoman  that  in 
matters  cesthetic  she  frequently  must  play  the  part  of  the 
teacher,  but  must  play  it  in  so  tactful  and  skilful  a 
manner  that  the  customer  will  welcome  the  information 
given  and  will  be  led,  naturally,  to  make  a  wise  choice 
among  the  objects  offered  for  sale. 

Textile  Merchandise 

The  textile  merchandise  course  differs  from  the  usual 
courses  in  textiles  in  its  treatment  of  the  subjects  as  mer- 
chandise and  its  applications  to  definite  departments. 

Purpose:  To  present  to  pupils  information  concerning  the 
sources  of  supply,  methods  of  manufacture,  and  uses  of 
textile  merchandise,  with  special  reference  to  its  com- 
mercial handling  and  classification. 


174  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

Time:  Five  periods  per  week  on  alternate  weeks  during  the 
second  year  of  high  school.     (Total  20  weeks.) 

Method:  By  the  use  of  text-books  and  mimeographed  notes. 
By  the  use  of  illustrative  material.  By  the  co-operation 
of  heads  of  textile  departments  of  stores. 

Second  Year  —  (20  weeks) 

I.  Cotton  Goods 

1.  History 

2.  Sources  of  supply 

3.  Manufacture 

(a)  Centers  of  industry 

(b)  Processes:  spinning,  weaving,  dyeing,  print- 

ing,  adulterations 

4.  Uses 

(a)  Materials  for  furnishings 

(b)  Wearing  apparel 

(c)  Tests,  laundering,  and  care 

II.  Linen  Goods 

1.  History 

2.  Sources  of  supply 

3.  Manufacture 

(a)  Centers  of  industry 

(b)  Processes:      spinning,     weaving,     dyeing, 

printing,  adulterations 

4.  Uses 

(a)  Materials  by  the  yard 

(b)  House  linens,  made  up 

Table,  bed,  towels ;  fancy  linens 
Wearing  apparel 

(c)  Tests,  laundering,  and  care 

HI.  Silk  Goods 

1.  History 

2.  Sources  of  supply 

3.  Manufacture 

(a)  Centers  of  industry 

(b)  Processes 


CO-OPERATION  IN  NEW  YORK  SCHOOLS       175 

(c)  Weighting  and  adulterations 

(d)  Unions 

(e)  Artificial  silks 
4.  Uses 

(a)  Materials  by  the  yard 

(b)  Knitted  underwear  and  hosiery 

(c)  Velvets 

(d)  Tests,  cleaning,  and  care 

IV.  Woolen  Goods 

1.  History 

2.  Sources  of  supply 

3.  Manufacture 

(a)  Centers  of  industry 

(b)  Processes: 

Shoddies 
Unions 

4.  Uses 

(a)  Materials  by  the  yard 

(b)  Knitted  goods,  underwear,  hosiery,  etc. 

(c)  Blankets 

(d)  Tests,  cleansing,  and  care 

V.  Laces 

1.  History 

2.  Sources  of  supply 

3.  Raw  materials 

4.  Manufacture 

(a)  Centers  of  industry 

(b)  Processes: 

Real  hand-made  lace 
Machine-made   lace 
Imitation  lace 

(c)  Comparison  between  real  and  imitation  lace 

5.  Classification  and  uses  of  finished  product 

VI.  Carpets  and  Rugs 

1.  History 

2.  Raw  materials 

3.  Manufacture 


176  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

^a)  Centers  of  industry 

(b)  Processes: 

Hand-made  carpets  and  rugs 
Machine-made  carpets  and  rugs 
4.  Classification  and  uses 

Non-Textile  Merchandise 

Purpose:  To  present  to  pupils  information  concerning  non- 
textile  merchandise,  as  with  textile  departments. 

Time:   Five  periods   per  week  on   alternate   weeks   during 
the  third  year  of  high  school.     (Total  20  weeks.) 

Method:  As  in  textile  merchandise. 

I.  Review 

Work  on  materials  as  given  in  general  science  course 

II.  China  and  Glassware 

1.  History 

2.  Materials  and  sources  of  supply 

3.  Manufacture 

(a)  Centers  of  industry 

(b)  Processes 

4.  Classification  and  uses 

Table  china ;  household ;  art  pottery ;  glassware ; 
lamps 

III.  Silverware  and  Jewelry 

1.  History 

2.  Materials  and  sources  of  supply 

(a)  Metals 

(b)  Precious  stones 

(c)  Sundry  materials 

3.  Manufacture 

(a)  Centers  of  industry 

(b)  Processes 

4.  Classification  and  uses 

(a)  Silverware 

Table  silver 
Toilet  silver 


CO-OPERATION  IN  NEW  YORK  SCHOOLS       177 

Decorative  silver 
Arts  and  crafts 
(b)   Solid  gold  jewelry 
Plated  jewelry 
Specialties 
Arts  and  crafts 

IV.  Leather  Goods  —  Shoes  and  Gloves 

1.  History 

2.  Sources  of  supply 

3.  Manufacture 

(a)  General   processes 

(b)  Special  processes 

Bags  and  leather  specialties 

Shoes 

Gloves 

4.  Classification  and  uses 

V.  Rubber  Goods 

1.  History 

2.  Sources  of  supply 

3.  Manufacture 

(a)  General  processes 

(b)  Special  processes   (hard  and  soft  rubber) 

Rubberized  cloth 
Rubber  boots  and  overshoes 
Toilet  articles 
Household  articles 

VI.  Woodenware  and  Baskets 

1.  History 

2.  Sources  of  supply 

3.  Manufacture 

(a)  General  processes 

(b)  Special  processes 

4.  Classification  and  uses 

Household  woodenware 
Willowware  and  baskets 

Vn.  Paper 

I.  History 


178  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

2.  Sources  of  supply 

3.  Manufacture 

(a)  General  processes 

(b)  Special  processes 

Stationery  and  paper  goods 
Pressed  paper  and  fiber  board 

4.  Classification  and  uses 

Salesmanship  and  Business  Organization 

Purpose:  (Salesmanship.)  To  present  to  pupils  examples 
of  practical  selling  through  type  cases,  and  from  them  to 
discover  the  principles  of  good  salesmanship,  its  ethics, 
the  qualities  required  of  salespeople,  and  the  steps  in  a 
sale. 

(Business  Organization.)  To  follow  business  organ- 
ization of  a  department  store  through  wholesaling  to 
manufacturer,  so  that  pupils  may  have  a  clear  outline 
of  the  organization  of  retail  selling  and  a  general  view 
of  the  business  world. 

Time:  Five  periods  per  week  in  alternate  weeks  during  the 
third  year  of  high  school.     (Total  20  weeks.) 

Method:  By  the  case  system,  accompanied  by  text-book  ref- 
erences and  discussions. 

First  Term  —  Salesmanship 

I.  Process    of    Sale — (Illustrated    through    type    cases 
treated  as  problems) 

A  —  System 

1.  Normal  cash  sale:  take  —  send 

2.  Normal   charge   sale:   credit  —  deposit  ac- 

count 

3.  Special  order  for  later  delivery 

4.  Engravings    (silver,   ivory,  etc.) 

5.  Repairs  of  various  kinds 

6.  Alterations  on  suits  and  other  clothing 

7.  Transfers  —  sent  or  taken 


CO-OPERATION  IN  NEW  YORK  SCHOOLS       179 

8.  C  O.  D.  and  bill  for  collection 

9.  Special  deliveries  to  customers;  etc. 

B  —  Merchandise 

1.  Staple  goods 

2.  Novelties 

3.  Special  sales 

C  —  Customers 

1.  Critical  customers 

2.  Dependent  customers 

3.  Difficult  cases 

4.  Mail-order  purchases  (shoppers) 

5.  Telephone  orders 

6.  Personal  service   (guides) 

7.  Interpreters  —  different  nationalities 

8.  Complaints  from  customers 

II.  Formulation  of  Principles  from  above 

1.  Modern  methods  of  selling 

2.  Proper  attitude  of  sales  clerks: 

(a)  Toward  store 

(b)  Toward  customers 

(c)  Toward  fellow  employees 

III.  Requisite  Qualifications  of  Sales  Clerks 

1.  Personal  characteristics 

(a)  Initiative 

(b)  Judgment 

(c)  Enthusiasm 

(d)  Energy 

(e)  Tact 

(f)  Cheerfulness 

(g)  Attractive  appearance 
(h)  Accuracy 

2.  Good  habits 

(a)  Courtesy 

(b)  Promptness 

(c)  Carefulness 

(d)  Self-control 

(e)  Neatness 


i8o  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

(f)  Regularity 
3.  Necessary  knowledge 

(a)  Good  English 

(b)  Good  penmanship 

(c)  Local  geography 

(d)  Arithmetic 

(e)  Store  system 

(f)  Store  policies 

(g)  Human  nature 
(h)  Merchandise 

IV.  Points  of  a  Sale 

1.  Approach  to  customer 

2.  Presentation  of  merchandise 

3.  Attracting  attention 

4.  Arousing  interest 

5.  Creating  desire 

6.  Closing  a  sale 

V.  Waste  in  Business 

Second  Term  —  Business  Organization 

I.  Introduction 

Briefly  trace  the  course  of  retail  selling  from  a  sim- 
ple beginning  of  a  small  store  with  proprietor  and 
one  or  two  assistants,  handling  one  line  of  mer- 
chandise, gradually  adding  related  lines,  and  then 
unrelated  lines  as  the  opportunity  presented  itself, 
to  the  more  complex  organization  of  the  modern 
department  store. 

II.  Retail  SELLiNa 

A  —  Department  Store 

1.  Its  function 

2.  Organization   (chart  showing  organization 

and  the  inter-relations  of  the  various 
departments) 

(a)  Administration 

(b)  Merchandising 


CO-OPERATION  IN  NEW  YORK  SCHOOLS       i8l 

(c)  Superintending 

Selling 
Non-selling 

(d)  Accounting  and  auditing 

(e)  Advertising 

(f)  Store  service 

To  the  public 
To  the  staff 

(g)  Conditions  of  service 

Environment 

Remuneration 

Opportunities  for  advancement 

Comparison  with  other  vocations 

B  —  Chain  Stores 

1.  Function  of  business  compared  with  that 

of  the  department  store 

2.  Organization   compared   with   that   of   de- 

partment store 

(a)  Points  of  resemblance 

(b)  Points  of  difference,  and  reasons 

3.  Service  rendered  to  the  public;  advantages 

and  objections 

C  —  Mail-order  House 

1.  Function  of  business;  compared  with  de- 

partment store 

2.  Organization    compared    with    department 

store 

(a)  Points  of  resemblance 

(b)  Points  of  difference,  and  reasons 

3.  Service  rendered  to  the  public;  advantages 

and  objections 

D  —  Specialty  Shops 

1.  Function   of  business  compared  with   de- 

partment  store 

2.  Organization    compared    with    department 

store 
(a)  Points  of  resemblance 


1 82  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

(b)  Points  of  difference,  and  reasons  for 
these 
3.  Service    rendered    to    public;    advantages 
and  objections 

III.  Wholesale  Selling 

1.  Function  of  business 

2.  Organization 

Executive 
Selling 

3.  Relation  to  retail  selling 

4.  Relation  to  manufacturing 

5.  Comparison   of  organization  with   that  of 

the  retail  house 

6.  Advantages  and  disadvantages 

IV.  Manufacturing 

1.  Introduction  —  brief  sketch  show^ing  devel- 

opment of  the  modern  factory 

2.  Organization 

Executive 
Production 

3.  Relation  to  vi^holesale  selling 

4.  Relation  to  retail  selling 

5.  Direct,  or  so-called  "  direct  from  manufac- 

turer to  consumer" 


Chapter  XV 

BUSINESS  ETHICS  IN  THE  DEPARTMENT 
STORE 

The  Director's  Responsibility 

The  most  delicate  but  most  far-reaching  function  of 
the  educational  director  is  the  task  of  interpreting  the 
point  of  view  of  the  management  to  the  employees, 
and  in  turn  making  their  position  clear  to  the  employer. 
This  is  not  supposed  to  be  included  in  her  work,  but  it 
naturally  develops  out  of  it,  and  among  other  ques- 
tions there  are  many  involving  the  ethics  of  business 
which  cannot  be  escaped. 

The  influence  of  those  whose  position  enables  them 
to  give  the  proper  balance  to  business  relationships  is 
very  important.  Such  persons  must  therefore  have 
their  own  ethical  foundations  secure. 

Business  ethics  are  dependent  on  the  relations  of 
the  management  and  the  employees  to  each  other  and 
their  obligation  to  serve  the  community.  This  service 
requires  mutual  loyalty  and  co-operation  which  em- 
ployees are  ready  to  render  when  they  understand  it. 

183 


l84  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

In  many  cases  a  discussion  of  abstract  business  prin- 
ciples would  only  confuse  the  minds  of  those  who  are 
unused  to  thinking  in  such  terms.  But  practical  ques- 
tions may  be  talked  about  in  an  impersonal,  though 
definite  and  concrete  way,  and  business  principles  de- 
veloped. 

Implication  and  Meaning  of  Commercial  Ethics 

The  words  "  commercial  ethics  "  have  generally  had 

a  curious  significance  as  used  in  the  department  store. 

There  are  not  a  few  cases  in  which  they  mean  only  the 

employee's  performance  of  duty  and  an  attitude  of 

loyalty  to  the  firm. 

From  this  point  of  view  commercial  ethics  means : 

Honesty 

Loyalty 

Care  of  employer's  interest 

Promptness 

Obedience  to  rules 

This  list  might  be  extended  to  include  other  quali- 
ties but  they  all  relate  to  the  same  thing  —  the  obliga- 
tions of  the  employee.  Without  making  these  obliga- 
tions any  less  binding,  the  educational  director  must 
recognize  that  they  neither  express  the  content  of  com- 
mercial ethics  nor  satisfy  the  adult  employee.  The 
reiteration   of   the   obligation  of  loyalty  to  the  em- 


BUSINESS  ETHICS  IN  THE  STORE  185 

ployer,  for  instance,  is  only  irritating  to  many  people. 
They  know  that  they  must  do  the  work  for  which 
they  are  paid  and  do  it  in  a  fairly  satisfactory  man- 
ner, or  they  will  lose  their  jobs.  More  than  this  they 
do  not  intend  to  do  nor  do  they  see  why  they  should 
be  "  loyal  "  to  a  perfectly  cold  business  relationship. 
This  spirit  grieves  a  kindly  employer  who  thinks  such 
ideas  show  a  great  deterioration  in  the  "  working 
class."  The  latter  are  beginning,  meanwhile,  to  talk 
about  the  class  of  employers  and  capitalists. 

The  Larger  Social  Consciousness 

The  department  store  is  one  of  the  later  forms  of 
business  life  to  feel  the  effects  of  great  industrial 
changes  and  readjustments  in  the  relations  of  capital 
and  labor.  It  would  be  well  for  the  director  to  become 
familiar  with  the  present  attitude  of  men  and  women 
who  belong  to  the  industrial  groups,  in  order  to  see 
the  causes  of  certain  discontents  which  filter  through 
to  her  store  people.  They  themselves  have  but  a 
vague  idea  of  these  causes,  but  they  repeat  what  they 
hear. 

"  Class  consciousness  "  is  the  term  given  to  an  atti- 
tude of  antagonism  toward  all  capitalists,  especially 
one's  employer,  and  it  indicates  the  belief  that  all  wage 
earners  should  band  together  to  protect  their  interests 
against   the    employing   "  class."     This   attitude   has 


1 86  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

much  to  justify  it  in  the  relations  of  capital  and  labor, 
both  past  and  present,  but  it  is  a  limited  view,  a  half- 
truth  which  distorts  the  vision  of  those  who  hold  it. 
Class  consciousness  can  be  met  only  by  substituting 
the  larger  social  consciousness  of  which  it  is  a  part. 

Mutual  Service  the  Key-note 

Both  industry  and  business  are  founded  on  the  prin- 
ciple of  mutual  and  reciprocal  service.  Self-intferest 
in  the  service  must  be  balanced  by  an  interest  in  the 
other  person's  welfare,  or  the  service  becomes  servile 
and  distasteful. 

There  is  nothing  more  repellent  to  an  honest  person 
than  to  discover  that  the  apparent  interest  taken  in  his 
welfare  was  merely  a  cloak  for  selfish  ends.  For  ex- 
ample, a  customer  who  has  received  some  special  cour- 
tesy and  consideration  from  a  salesperson  at  one  time 
and  careless  indifference  at  another,  discovers  that  on 
the  first  occasion  the  buyer  was  looking  on.  While 
she  may  prefer  to  make  her  next  purchase  in  the  buy- 
er's presence,  she  has  less  respect  for  the  enforced 
courtesy  than  for  the  natural  carelessness. 

Overcoming  Past  Traditions 

In  dealing  with  business  as  a  community  service  we 
have  a  long  series  of  bad  traditions  to  overcome. 
Some  of  the  modern  salesmanship  instruction  still  re- 


BUSINESS  ETHICS  IN  THE  STORE  187 

minds  one  o£  the  ethics  of  the  horse-trader,  but  better 
standards  are  being  set. 

In  discussing  business  ethics  it  is  better  to  begin  at 
the  larger  end  and  afterward  show  the  individual's 
part.  This  will  involve  a  little  excursion  into  the  fields 
of  economics.  Let  the  director  ask  herself  and  her 
class  what  is  the  place  of  the  department  store  in  the 
great  field  of  production  and  distribution?  Why  are 
the  costs  of  distribution  rising?  How  can  waste  be 
lessened?  How  can  the  store  serve  the  community 
better?  Such  questions  have  probably  never  occurred 
to  most  of  the  salespeople  nor  perhaps  to  the  buyers  or 
executives  in  the  store. 

The  importance  of  careful  and  efficient  distribution 
—  getting  the  right  goods  to  the  right  people  with  the 
least  waste  and  loss  —  has  become  a  more  pressing 
problem  each  year,  and  the  enormous  waste  caused  by 
the  great  war  has  made  it  a  problem  which  must  be 
solved.  We  no  longer  have  a  surplus  in  the  world 
which  permits  the  waste  to  which  we  have  been  accus- 
tomed. Only  institutions  and  agencies  which  serve 
the  public  in  an  efficient  manner  will  survive  and  these 
must  become  more  efficient  than  they  have  been  in 
the  past. 

The  ethics  of  trade  have  often  been  as  destructive 
as  those  of  war,  but  we  are  rapidly  coming  out  of  that 
stage  into  one  which  recognizes  mutual  rights,  obli- 


i88  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

gations,  and  co-operation  as  a  basis  of  all  our  dealings. 

This  sense  of  co-operation  must  begin  in  a  more 
democratic  control  of  the  employee  relations  than  most 
stores  have  established.  If  the  employees  are  "jun- 
ior partners  "  they  must  have  some  direct  means  of 
expressing  themselves  as  to  business  policies. 

The  employer  cannot  take  his  employees  for 
granted.  With  his  limited  knov^ledge  of  their  lives 
and  their  thinking  he  is  sure  to  go  wrong.  They  are 
traveling  along  paths  which  are  perfectly  normal  and 
reasonable  from  their  point  of  view.  Let  him  make 
them  his  confidants  and  friends  and  they  will  respond 
with  the  loyalty  which  is  sincere  and  lasting. 

Something  more  is  needed  than  a  "  grievance  com- 
mittee," although  that  is  an  advance  over  the  old  sys- 
tem by  which  grievances  almost  never  reached  the  ear 
of  the  authority  which  could  change  conditions.  Un- 
ceasing efforts  should  be  made  to  keep  the  store  and  its 
members  in  touch,  to  bridge  that  vicious  gap  between 
capital  and  labor  and  establish  human  relations  be- 
tween them. 

The  Director's  Opportunity 

The  educational  director  is  usually  the  medium 
through  whom  the  approaches  can  be  made  and  each 
side  interpreted  to  the  other.  She  represents  neither 
the  merchandising  nor  the  service  nor  the  accounting 


BUSINESS  ETHICS  IN  THE  STORE  189 

of  the  store,  but  is  concerned  with  the  human  element 
in  all  three  departments.  Her  background  and  train- 
ing have  given  her  a  social  vision  which  should  be 
made  sane  and  logical  through  her  business  experience. 
She  should  be  recognized  as  the  most  valuable  assistant 
to  the  general  manager. 


Appendix 

Books  for  Reference 
Health 

Fatigue  and  Efficiency,  Josephine  Goldmark.  Charities  Pub- 
lication Committee. 

Personal  Hygiene,  Anne  J.  Galbraith.     W.  B.  Saunders  Co, 

Physical  Education,  D.  A.  Sargent.     Ginn  &  Co. 

Exercises  for  Women,  Florence  Botton.     Funk  &  Wagnalls. 

Athletic  Games  for  Women,  Dudley  and  Keller.  Henry 
Holt  &  Co. 

Store  System  and  Salesmanship 

Salesmanship  and  Sales  Management.     Library  of  Salesman- 
ship and  Advertising. 
Retail    Selling   and    Store   Management,   Paul   H.   Nystrom. 

D,  Appleton  &  Co. 
Salesmanship  Theory  and  Practice,  T.  H.  Russell.     National 

Institute  of  Business. 
The    Art   of   Selling,   A.    F.    Sheldon.     Sheldon   University 

Press. 
Retail  Selling,  James  W.  Fisk.     Harper. 
Salesmanship,    Deportment   and    System,   Wm.   A.   Corbion. 

Jacobs. 
Service  Instruction  of  American  Corporations.     Bulletin  of 

the  Bureau  of  Education. 
Salesmanship    for   Women,    Benedict-Roche.    Ronald   Press 

Co. 

Employment 

Choosing  Employees  by  Mental   and   Physical  Tests,  Wm. 
Fretz  Kemble.     Engineering  Mag.   Co. 
igi 


192  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

The  Job,  the  Man  and  the  Boss,  Katherine  Blackford.     Dou- 

bleday  Page. 
Hiring  the  Worker,  R.  W.  Kelley.     Engineering  Mag.  Co. 

Eificiency 

How  to  Live  on  Twenty-four  Hours  a  Day,  Arnold  Bennett. 

G.  H.  Doran  &  Co. 
Efficiency   as   a   Basis,    Harrington    Emerson.    Engineering 

Mag.  Co. 
Imagination  in  Business,  Lorin  F.  Deland.     Harper. 
The  Ambitious  Woman  in  Business,  Eleanor  Gilbert.     Funk 

&  Wagnalls. 
Increasing  Human  Efficiency  in  Business,  Walter  Dill  Scott. 

Macmillan. 
Scientific  Management,  Taylor.    Harper. 

Welfare  and  Social  Relations 

The  Human  Side  of  Business,  Frederick  Pierce.  John  C. 
Winston  Co. 

The  New  Industrial  Day,  Wm.  C.  Redfield.     Century  Co. 

Wage  Earning  and  Education,  R.  R.  Lutz.  Cleveland  Edu- 
cational Survey. 

Department  Store  Occupations,  I.  P.  O'Leary.  Cleveland 
Educational  Survey. 

Saleswomen  in  Mercantile  Stores,  Elizabeth  B.  Butler. 
Charities  Publication  Committee,  N.  Y. 

Report  of  Committee  on  Retail  Salesmanship.  National  As- 
sociation of  Corporation  Schools,  1917,  N.  Y.  C. 

Department  Store  Education,  Helen  R.  Norton.  Bulletin 
1917,  No.  9,  Department  of  Interior,  Bureau  of  Educa- 
tion, Washington,  D.  C. 

An  Experiment  in  Industrial  Organization,  E.  Cadbury. 
Longmans,  Green  &  Co. 

Citizens  in  Industry,  Charles  H.  Henderson.  D.  Appleton 
&  Co. 

Woman  and  Labor,  Olive  Schreiner.     Stokes. 

Work  and  Wealth,  J.  A.  Hobson.    Macmillan. 


APPENDIX  193 

Economics,  Merchandising,  Ethics 

Economics  of  Retailing,  Paul  H.  Nystrom.  Ronald  Press 
Co. 

Retail  Buying,  Clifton  C.  Field.     Harper. 

Advertising  as  a  Business  Force,  Paul  T.  Cherington.  Dou- 
bleday  Page. 

Some  Problems  in  Market  Distribution,  A.  W.  Shaw.  Har- 
vard University  Press. 

The  New  Business,  Harry  Tipper.     Doubleday  Page. 

Industrial  Democracy,  Sidney  and  Beatrice  Webb.  Long- 
mans, Green  &  Co. 

Democracy  and  Social  Ethics,  Jane  Addams.     Macmillan. 


Representative  Store  Bulletins  ^ 

Old  Goods 

Mr.  H.  began  with  a  proverb :  "  Collecting  old  goods  is 
collecting  trouble."     His  principal  points  were  the  following: 

Stock 

1.  Many  kinds  of  stock  are  destroyed  by  time,  even  if  they 
are  not  handled.  Among  these  are  rubber  goods  of  all 
kinds  and  spool  silk  which  rots  on  account  of  the  dye. 

2.  All  stock  is  injured  by  dust  and  handling,  as  side  combs 
which  are  scratched  by  being  rubbed  against  each  other. 

Buyer 

1.  Old  goods  cause  a  department  to  have  too  much  of  one 
kind  of  stock,  because  a  buyer  is  only  allowed  so  much 
money,  and  if  he  has  old  stock  left  over  in  one  line  he  has 
not  enough  money  to  buy  even  necessary  things  in  another 
line. 

2.  A  buyer  wants  to  move  stock  quickly,  because  his  busi- 
ness is  to  buy,  and  he  wants  to  turn  his  money  over  often  in 
order  to  make  larger  profits. 

1  See  Chapter  V,  "  Courses  of  Training  for  Salespeople." 


194  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

Customer 

1.  A  customer  always  likes  to  see  new  goods. 

2.  It  is  harder  to  convince  a  customer  that  the  old  goods 
are  "  just  as  good,"  or  that  they  will  suit  her  as  well  as  the 
new. 

3.  A  customer  is  more  likely  to  return  old  goods  when 
she  examines  them  and  finds  them  shop-worn  or  out  of  style. 

Salesperson 

1.  It  takes  twice  as  long  to  sell  old  goods  as  new,  because 
old  goods  must  be  talked  up. 

2.  The  salesperson  is  more  interested  in  new  goods.  That 
makes  selling  much  easier  and  more  successful. 

Cotnments  on  Answers  to   Test  Questions 

1.  Only  three  or  four  spoke  of  the  loss  of  profit  by  keeping 
old  stock.  Some  seemed  to  think  it  was  good  to  have  new 
stock,  just  because  it  looks  new  and  fresh. 

2.  Illustrations  were  given  of  French  ivory  which  turns 
darker  with  age,  perfumes  change  color,  white  hats  grow 
yellow,  feathers  gather  moths,  tinsel  becomes  tarnished,  kid 
gloves  harden,  and  velvet  becomes  marked  by  being  kept  in 
stock. 


The  test  questions  which  were  given  to  the  salespeople  are 
given  below.  The  "  Comments  "  on  the  bulletin  were  upon 
the  answers  to  these  questions. 

Test  Questions  on  "Old  Goods" 

1.  How  does  stock  lose  in  value  by  remaining  too  long  in  the 

department?     Give  two  illustrations. 

2.  Why  does  a  buyer  wish  to  move  stock  quickly? 

3.  How  do  old  goods  cause  a  department  to  have  too  much 

of  one  kind  of  stock? 

4.  Why  is  a  customer  more  likely  to  return  old  goods  than 

new  ? 

5.  Why  does  it  take  more  time  to  sell  old  goods  ? 

6.  What   difference    does    your   own    interest   make    in   the 

amount  of  goods  you  sell? 


APPENDIX  195 

Care  of  Stock 

The  lectures  given  by  Mrs.  L were  given  careful  at- 
tention and  aroused  a  new  interest  in  the  careful  handling 
of  stock.     Her  main  points  were : 

1.  Importance  of  handling  stock  with  care,  because  a  very 
small  damage  done  by  each  of  forty  or  fifty  girls  would  make 
the  hat  or  other  article  soon  look  shop-worn. 

2.  Putting  stock  back  where  others  can  find  it  and  not 
allowing  it  to  remain  out  of  the  case  after  it  has  been  shown. 

3.  Soiled  or  mussed  stock  must  be  reduced  in  price  and 
cause  loss  to  the  department. 

4.  Co-operation  in  the  department  —  putting  away  stock 
for  a  busy  saleswoman,  as  well  as  general  care  of  our  own 
and  other  people's  stock. 

Co-operation  with  the  buyer  —  giving  proper  attention  to 
all  the  goods,  and  not  selling  the  newest  things  in  preference 
to  goods  that  were  in  the  department  previously. 

Co-operation  uith  the  store  —  being  courteous  about  re- 
turned goods  by  care  in  selection  and  asking  the  customer, 
"Are  you  satisfied?" 

Comments  on  Answers  to   Test   Questions 

The  answers  given  by  the  three  classes  to  a  series  of 
questions  on  care  of  stock  showed  that  some  had  given  the 
matter  careful  thought  and  some  had  not. 

Very  few  remembered  Mrs.  L 's  point  about  the  large 

numbers  handling  stock.  All  realized  that  soiled  or  mussed 
stock  must  be  reduced  in  price. 

A  number  did  not  give  any  answers  as  to  how  they  could 
co-operate.  Some  do  not  seem  to  understand  what  co-oper- 
ation means.     The  best  answers  on  these  points  were: 

System  is  the  main  thing. 

Being  courteous  to  people  whether  they  buy  or  not. 

Handling  goods  as  if  they  were  personal  property. 

Putting  away  stock  for  another  girl  if  she  is  busy. 

Being  on  the  alert  to  help  others. 

People  can  do  more  by  working  together. 

Showing  new  girls. 


196  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

The  test  questions  which  were  given  to  the  salespeople  are 
given  below.  The  "  Comments  "  on  the  bulletin  were  upon 
the  answers  to  these  questions. 

Test  Questions  on  Care  of  Stock 

1.  Why  does  carelessness  in  handling  stock  cause  so  much 

loss  in  a  large  department? 

2.  What  must  be  done  with  shop-worn  goods? 

3.  Why  should  you  sell  old  goods  first?    Give  two  reasons. 

4.  What  are  the  advantages  of  co-operation  in  a  department? 

5.  In  what  ways  can  you  co-operate  in  your  department? 

6.  What  goods  in  your  department  are  most  easily  injured 

and  need  most  careful  handling? 

7.  Suggest  some  improvement  in  your  department  which  you 

think  would  help  to  keep  your  stock  in  better  order  or 
make  it  easier  to  get. 

8.  What  are  the  points  which  the  head  of  your  department 

thinks  most  important  in  handling  your  stock? 

Review  Questions^ 


Infants'  Wear  Department 

1.  Which  of  the  four  textiles  are  most  suitable  for  infants' 

wear?     (Underwear,  dresses,  bonnets,  and  caps.) 

2.  What  linen  goods  do  you  sell?    Woolen,  Silk,  Cotton? 

3.  What  is  the  difference  between  wool  and  worsted  yarns? 

Which  is  used  in  your  goods? 

4.  What  is  the  difference  between  cashmere  and  flannel? 

What  is  eden  cloth? 

5.  What  are  some  of  the  infants'  wear  goods  recently  put 

into  your  department?    What  are  their  advantages? 
Are  they  popular? 

6.  What  instances  can  you  mention  of  how  the  saleswoman 

may  assist  a  young  mother  in  her  buying? 

7.  What   laces   are    found   on   your   goods?     What   is  the 

difference    between   pillow    (or   bobbin)    and   needle- 

1  See  Chapter  V,  "  Courses  of  Training  for  Salespeople." 


APPENDIX  197 

point  lace?    What  are  some  imitations  of  each  in  your 
goods  ? 

8.  What  straws  are  found  in  children's  hats?    What  other 

materials  in  the  hats  and  bonnets  you  sell?     What  are 
some  good  designs  and  styles  in  these? 

9.  How  is  kid  prepared  for  bootees? 

10.  What  are  infants'  pillows  stuffed  with?    Why? 

11.  What  designs  are  found  in  yarn  goods?    What  colors? 

12.  What  is  necessary  for  a  baby's  layette? 

13.  What  length  should  the  slips  be? 

14.  What  is  the  best  fabric  for  slips  and  cotton  skirts? 

15.  What  is  the  disadvantage  of  rubber  diapers?    Of  lace 

and  edging  on  infants'  dresses? 

16.  What  is  bird's-eye  linen?     Its  advantages? 

17.  What  is  the  advantage  of  the  "Gertrude"   skirt?     Of 

tapes  rather  than  buttons?    Of  a  knitted  band  with 
shoulder  straps? 

18.  Why  should  infants'  wear  goods  be  washed  before  using? 

Why  not  use  cheap  safety  pins?    Why  put  on  warmer 
clothing  on  a  damp  day? 

19.  What  are  the  advantages  of  a  "ribbed  cashmere"  shirt? 

20.  Why   should   one   use   flannel   of  mixed   cotton-and-silk 

rather  than  all-wool  ? 

21.  What  is  rubber  cloth?    Water-proof  sheeting? 

22.  What  are  appropriate  designs  in  infants'  wear?    What 

are  appropriate  fur  trimmings? 


Glove  Department 

1.  What  different  skins  are  used  for  gloves  and  how  are 

they  prepared?  Where  do  they  come  from?  What  is 
"tawing"?     "Chamoying"? 

2.  Describe  the  process  of  making  a  glove. 

3.  What    is   the   difference    between    the   dressed   and   un- 

dressed kid?  What  is  the  "grain"  of  leather?  What 
is  "split"  leather?  What  kind  of  gloves  belong  to 
each  class?  What  is  the  advantage  of  each?  How 
are  chamois  gloves  made?    Washable  kid? 


198  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

4.  Which  is  more  sanitary,  a  glace  or  suede  glove?    What 

are  the  general  rules  for  cleaning  the  different  kinds 
of  gloves? 

5.  What  is  stitching?     What  four  kinds  are  used?     Name 

three  kinds  of  seams.     What  is  the  advantage  of  each  ? 

6.  Are  fabric  gloves  knit  or  w^oven  goods?    What  is  the 

advantage  ? 

7.  From  what  are  chamoisette  gloves  made?     Lisle  thread? 

8.  What  is  the  difference  between  Milanese  and  Tricot  in 

silk  gloves  ?     Why  do  silk  gloves  "  run  "  ? 

9.  How  do  the  sizes  run  in  kid  gloves?     In  fabric?    Do 

you  fit  a  hand  in  the  same  size  in  both  kinds?    What 
are  the  different  button  lengths  in  long  gloves? 

10.  What  designs  are  good  in  embroidered  gloves?     Explain 

"  design  may  refer  to  either  shape  or  decoration." 

11.  Give  some  general  color  principles  you  use  in  suiting 

gloves  to  suits,  hats,  or  dresses. 

12.  What  are  staples  in  your  glove  stock?     Novelties? 

13.  What  are  some  of  the  good  points  of  the  different  makes 

which  you  can  mention  in  interesting  customers? 

14.  What  suggestions  could  you  offer  for  the  "  art  of  fitting 

gloves  "  ? 

15.  Why  is  it  economy  to  have  several  pairs  of  kid  gloves? 

16.  What  are  the  special  qualifications  of  a  successful  glove 

saleswoman? 

17.  Why  is  it  important  to  "turn"  glove  stock  often? 

Junior  Employees^ 


Suggestions  for  Work  in  Arithmetic  in 
Department  Stores 

Based  upon  practical  experience  with  salespersons 

The  department  store  salesperson's  needs  in  arithmetic 
may  be  briefly  summed  up  thus :  he  needs  a  thorough  ground- 
ing in  the  four  fundamental  operations,  a  working  knowl- 

1  See  Chapter  VI,  "  Apprentice  Salespeople  and  Junior  Employees." 


APPENDIX  199 

edge  of  simple  fractions  (principally  multiplication  of  whole 
numbers  by  fractions  or  by  mixed  numbers),  and  the  ability 
to  handle  trade  discounts. 

I.  The  Fundamental   Operations.    The  emphasis  here 
should  be  on  addition  and  multiplication. 

(a)  Addition: 

Exhaustive  drill  on  the  45  primary  combinations 
until  automatism  results,  is  the  secret  of  accurate  and 
speedy  work  in  addition. 

Besides  this,  there  should  be  drill  on  rapid  counting 
(starting  with  any  number  other  than  zero  or  the 
number  used  itself),  on  combinations  of  three  digits, 
and  on  rapid  addition  of  numbers  of  two  places.  One 
of  the  best  aids  to  rapid  addition  is  counting. 

To  secure  accuracy,  inculcate  the  habit  of  adding 
each  column  twice,  once  up  and  once  down,  before 
writing  down  the  result. 

(b)  Mtdtiplication: 

Exhaustive  drill  on  the  tables,  at  least  up  to  16,  so 
as  to  bring  out  the  two  multiplication  facts,  the  two 
division  facts,  and  the  two  fraction  facts  involved. 

Drill  on  rapid  counting,  starting  from  zero  or  the 
number  itself.  Drill  on  short  methods  of  multiplica- 
tion ;  also  on  the  law  of  commutation. 

II.  Fractions.  Operations  with  simple  fractions,  empha- 
sizing fourths,  eighths,  and  sixteenths.  Short  cuts 
with  fractional  multipliers  of  whole  numbers. 

III.  Discounts.  One  and  two  discounts.  Discounts  gen- 
erally used  are  either  10%  or  6%. 

Problems  met  with  call  for  a  discount  of  10,  or  of 
10  and  10;  or,  for  a  discount  of  6,  or  of  6  and  6. 

The  discounts  of  10  present  no  difficulty. 

Practical  short  cut  much  in  use  in  department  stores 
for  6  and  6  off:  Take  six  cents  off  on  each  dollar, 
and  one  cent  off  for  every  seventeen  cents  below  dol- 
lar, using  the  following  table : 


200  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

17^  gives  !<}  discount 

5o<^     "      3^        " 

85<f     "      5^ 

disregarding  any  remainders  after  dividing  by  17; 
thus  an  article  costing  64^  subject  to  a  discount  of  6%, 
would  allow  a  deduction  only  of  3^. 

General  Remarks: 

1.  Most  departments  employ  cents  as  the  basis  for  calcula- 
tion; if  dollars  are  used,  they  rarely  go  over  two  places. 
Hence,  use  small  numbers  for  drill  work. 

2.  In  many  cases  both  the  regular  price  and  the  price  after 
the  first  discount  is  taken  off,  appear  on  the  tag,  saving  the 
salesperson  the  trouble  of  calculating  the  latter.  This  net 
price  after  first  discount  is  deducted  is  known  as  "  inside." 
The  second  discount  is  deducted  from  the  "  inside,"  of  course. 

Illustration:  Sell  3  yds.  of  ribbon  to  a  milliner,  with  6 
and  6  off,  at  $1.35  per  yd. 

Discount  on  $1  will  be  64;  on  35^^  will  be  20  (35  -^  17). 
Altogether  deduct  80  from  $1.35,  leaving  $1.27  as  "in- 
side." 
3  yds.  at  $1.27  ^$3.81.    Discount  on  $3  is  i80;  on  8i0 

will  be  40  (81  -^  17). 
Deduct  220  from  $3.81  leaving  $3.59  as  net  price. 

3.  The  Curtis  test  in  fundamentals,  given  before  a  series 
of  lessons  is  started  and  again  at  the  completion  of  the  series, 
may  be  found  useful  in  measuring  increase  in  accuracy  and 
speed. 


Class  for  Packers  and  Wrappers 

(Best  and  Co.) 

Course  8  weeks  with  2  lessons  a  week  for  one-half  hour 
each,  making  a  total  of  16  lessons. 

At  the  beginning,  written  instructions  are  given  out,  and 
the  packer  is  asked  to  study  them. 


APPENDIX  2or 

For  old  employees,  the  above  was  followed  and  after  the 
first  week  an  examination  was  given.  Those  who  did  not 
pass  this  were  required  to  continue  in  the  class. 

The  work  for  each  half-hour  consists  of  first  an  explana- 
tion of  one  or  more  sections ;  then  an  oral  examination  and 
then  the  writing  down  of  the  method  discussed. 

The  last  3  half-hours  are  devoted  to  a  final  examination. 


Points  Taken  up  in  "Instructions  to  Packers" 
Paid  taken  sales  checks 
Paid  send  sales  checks 
Charge  taken  sales  checks 
Charge  send  sales  checks 
Charge  send  bulk  merchandise 
C.  O.  D.  sales  checks 
Credit  transactions 
Own  goods  tickets 
Employees'  purchases 
Aislemen's  signature 

Right  way  of  tying  boxed  parcels   (3  kinds  of  boxes) 
Paper  parcels 
Envelopes 
Neatness 
Economy 


Types  of  Questions  Asked  in  Tests 

1.  How  should  "  See  credit"  slips  be  handled? 

2.  Name  most  essential  steps  a  packer  should  follow  before 

giving  out  any  package  ? 

3.  How  is  a  package  identified  ? 

4.  Why  must  all  merchandise  be  checked  in  every  case  before 

it  leaves  the  packer? 

5.  Describe   the   process   of   a  "  charge   send "   sales   check. 

Also  "  charge  send  "  for  bulk  merchandise. 

6.  Suppose  we  have  a  "  paid  taken  "  transaction  in  which  the 

merchandise  purchased  consists  of  three  collar  and 
cuffs  sets  at  $3.95  apiece,  give  the  process  of  the  sales 
check  and  how  such  a  package  should  be  wrapped. 


202  THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 

Promotional  Test  for  Cashiers 
(Filene's,  Boston,  Mass.) 

1.  Is  it  possible  for  a  cashier  to  be  of  service  to  customers  in 

other  ways  than  by  making  change  and  wrapping  mer- 
chandise?    If  you  think  so,  name  all  the  ways  you  know. 

2.  In  what  ways  can  you  be  of  assistance  to  floor  superin- 

tendent and  salespeople  without  interfering  with  the 
routine  of  your  own  work? 

3.  What  is  the  correct  way  to  answer  the  telephone?     Has 

the  cashier  any  further  responsibility  after  she  has 
called  the  person  requested?  Suppose  you  are  in  the 
Glove  Department  and  the  telephone  rings  and  someone 
on  the  other  end  says  "Is  this  the  Suit  Department?" 
What  do  you  say? 

4.  How  can  you  find  out  how  much  it  costs  to  send  a  suit  to 

California?  How  do  you  handle  it  if  it  is  a  charge? 
If  it  is  paid? 

5.  Suppose  a  customer   pays   for  a  C.   O.   D.   package  and 

brings  it  into  the  store  personally  without  the  sales  slip, 
what  should  be  done  ? 

6.  Do  you  think  there  is  any  opportunity  for  a  girl  working  in 

the  bundle  desk  to  decide  what  she  would  like  to  do 
next?  If  you  do  think  there  is,  what  are  the  positions 
and  how  much  knowledge  of  each  can  be  obtained  while 
working  in  the  bundle  desk? 

7.  What  is  meant  by  our  system?    To  what  man- 

agers are  you  responsible? 

8.  What  means  have  you  for  doing  your  work  in  the  quick- 

est, best  ways  on  busy  days  with  assistants?  Without 
assistants? 

9.  Do  you  think  there  are  things  done  now  by  department 

people  that  might  be  done  in  addition  to  your  work  in 
the  desk  without  interfering  with  the  efficiency  of  your 
own  work?    If  so,  what  are  they? 


APPENDIX  "  203 

Sources  of  Material  for  Merchandise  Classes  ^ 


For  books  of  reference  upon  merchandise,  see  manuals  for 
various  departments. 

Textile  Supplies 

Photographs  and  Pictures 


Primitive  Spinning  and 
Weaving  Tapa  Cloth, 
Peruvian    Textiles,    etc. 


Laces,  Embroideries,  Cos- 
tumes, etc.,  Unmounted 
Photographs,  20"?  each. 

Pictures  of  Cotton,  Hemp. 

Pictures  of  Birds,  Plants, 
and  Animals. 

Series  of  stereoscope  views 
showing  manufacture  of 
cotton. 


Order  from  Mr.  Sherwood, 
Head  of  Photograph 
Dept.,  American  Museum 
of  Natural  History,  77th 
St.  and  Central  Park,  W., 
New  York  City. 

Metropolitan  Museum  of 
Art,  N.  Y. 

U.  S.  Department  of  Agri- 
culture, Washington,  D.  C. 

Educational  Publishing  Co., 
18  East  17th  St.,  New 
York  City. 

White  Oak  Cotton  Mills, 
Greensboro,  N.  C. 


Raw  Materials 

Cotton  Bolls  and  Branches.     W.   Ezra  Johnson,  Newnan, 

Georgia. 
Smith     &     Dove,     Andover, 

Mass. 
Barbour   Linen   Thread   Co., 

96-98    Franklin    St.,    New 

York  City. 
Superior    Thread    and    Yarn 

Co.,  45   E.   17th  St.,  New 

York  City. 

1  Ste  Chapter  VIII,  "  Material  for  Merchandise  Classes." 


Flax,  and  Exhibit. 
Flax. 


Ramie. 


204 

Silk. 


THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 


Artificial  Silk. 


Wm.  S.  Thairlwall  &  Co.,  15 
Tudor  St.,  Cambridge, 
Mass. 

American  Viscose  Co.,  Mar- 
cus Hook,  Pa. 


Exhibits 


Cotton. 


Cotton  Thread. 


Flax  and  Linen. 


Linen  Thread. 


Ramie. 


Silk. 

Exhibit,  Cocoons,  etc. 
Exhibit. 


Pacific  Mills,  70  Kilby  St., 
Boston,  Mass. ;  Scientific 
Supply  Co.,  St.  Louis, 
Mo. ;  Educational  Equip- 
ment Co.,  70  Fifth  Ave., 
New  York  City. 

J.  P.  Coates  Co.,  Chicago, 
111.;  George  A.  Clark  & 
Bros.,  400  Broadway,  New 
York  City. 

Wm.  Liddell  &  Co.,  51-53 
White  St.,  New  York 
City ;  Scientific  Supply 
Co.,  St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  Edu- 
cational Equipment  Co. 
70  Fifth  Ave.,  New  York 
City. 

Barbour  Linen  Thread  Co., 
96-98  Franklin  St.,  New 
York  City. 

Schlichten  Ramie  Co.,  357 
Fourth  Ave.,  New  York 
City. 

Nonotuck  Silk  Co.,  Flor- 
ence, Mass. 

Belding  Brothers  Co., 
Northampton,  Mass. ;  The 
Scientific   Supply  Co.,   St. 


APPENDIX 


205 


Charts  and  Skeins. 
Wool. 


Hemp  and  Twine. 
Hat-Making. 


Louis,  Mo. ;  Educational 
Equipment  Co.,  70  Fifth 
Ave.,  New  York  City. 

Cheney  Brothers,  South 
Manchester,  Conn. 

Arlington  Mills,  Lawrence, 
Mass.   (Prices  submitted)  ; 

North  Star  Woolen  Mill  Co., 
Minneapolis,  Minn. ;  Dr. 
Jaeger's  Sanitary  Woolen 
System  Co.,  324  Boylston 
St.,  Boston,  Mass.;  The 
Scientific  Supply  Co.,  St. 
Louis,  Mo. ;  Educational 
Equipment  Co.,  70  Fifth 
Ave.,  New  York  City. 

International  Harvester  Co., 
Chicago,  111. 

Scientific  Supply  Co.,  St. 
Louis,  Mo. ;  Educational 
Equipment  Co.,  70  Fifth 
Ave.,  New  York  City. 


Miscellaneous 


Linen     Testers     ($4.86     per 

dozen). 
Wool  Hand  Cards. 

Yarn  Testing  Instruments 
(For  Tensile  Strength). 

Simple  Equipment  for  chem- 
ical testing  of  woolen  fab- 
rics. 

Standard  Color  Card  of 
America. 


Bausch  &  Lomb  Optical  Co., 

400  Fifth  Ave.,  N.  Y.  C. 
L.    S.    Watson    M'f'g.    Co., 

Worcester,  Mass. 
Brown    Bros.,    62    Exchange 

Place,  Providence,  R.  I. 
Worumbo    Co.,    334    Fourth 

Ave.,  New  York  City. 

Textile  Color  Card  Associa- 
tion, 354  Fourth  Ave.,  New 
York  City. 


206 


THE  EDUCATIONAL  DIRECTOR 


Non-Textile  Exhibits  and  Supplies 


Fountain  Pens 


Steel  Pens 


Pencils 


Rubber  (Chart) 


Artificial  Leather 

Brush  Making 
Flat  Furs 
Long  Furs 
Leathers 
Tanning 
Sponges 
Aluminum 

Copper,  Tin,  Nickel,  Etc. 
Glass 

Gold,      Silver,      and      Mer- 
cury 
Iron  and  Steel 
Lead  and  Zinc 
Coffee,  Tea  and  Cocoa 
Cork 

Paper  Making 
Rubber  and  Gutta  Percha 
Woods 
Wood  Products 

Pictures    of    Birds,     Plants, 
and  Animals. 


L.  E.  Waterman  &  Co.,  191 

Broadway,       New       York 

City. 
Spencerian    Steel    Pen    Co., 

349  Broadway,  New  York 

City. 
Eberhard     Faber     Co.,     200 

Fifth     Ave.,     New     York 

City. 
B.     Goodrich     Rubber     Co., 

1780  Broadway,  New  York 

City. 
Dupont    Fabrikoid    Co.,    120 

Broadway,  New  York  City. 


Scientific  Supply  Co.,  St. 
Louis,  Mo. ;  Educational 
Equipment  Co.,  70  Fifth 
Ave.,  New  York  City. 


Educational  Publishing  Co., 
18  East  17th  St.,  New 
York  City. 


APPENDIX  207 

Pictures  of  Paper-Making.  U.  S.  Department  of  Agri- 
culture, Washington,  D.  C. 

Buttons.  German-American        Button 

Co.,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 


Motion  Picture  Films  and  Equipment 

Commercial  Motion  Picture  Co.,  220  West  42nd  St.,  New 
York  City. 

Atlas  Educational  Projector  Co.,  67  Irving  PL,  New  York 
City. 

Pathescope  Co.,  33  West  42nd  St.,  New  York  City. 

K.  R.  Bleecker  Co.,  Grand  Central  Terminal,  New  York 
City. 

National  Association  of  Motion  Picture  Industry,  Times 
Building,  New  York  City. 

Bureau  of  Commercial  Economics,  Department  of  Public  In- 
struction, Washington,  D.  C. 

The  John  B.  Stetson  Co.,  Philadelphia,  Pa.  "  Making  Felt 
Hats." 

United  Shoe  Machinery  Co.,  Albany  Bldg.,  Boston,  Mass. 
(Publicity  Department.)     "Jim's  Vocation." 

Peabody,  Houghteling  Co.,  Chicago,  111.  "  The  Paper  Indus- 
try." 

Ed.  Pinaud,  New  York  City.     "  Perfumes." 

L.  E.  Waterman  &  Co.,  New  York  City.  "  Ideal  Fountain 
Pens." 

Larkins  Company,  Buffalo,  N.  Y.     "  Soaps,  Perfumes,  etc." 

Johns-Mansville  Co.,  Madison  Ave.  &  41st  St.,  New  York 
City. 

Precision  Machine  Co.,  317  E.  34th  St.,  New  York  City. 


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